The term, women's health, was historically synonymous with reproductive health. When the prevailing thought among scientists and physicians was that women were just little men and reproductive organs were the only difference between the sexes, the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) was formed to change this conventional wisdom. SWHR realizes that austerity measures are necessary during hard economic times; however, we believe that sequestration is not the appropriate tool to reduce our federal deficit. Medical research, while vital to the scientific community, is also fundamental to the U.S. economy. Biomedical research and research on health statistics, surveillance data, and disease tracking are critical to maintaining a healthy society and are the difference between sickness and health for all women and their families.