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M. Isabelle Chaudry

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Read the NWHN’s written testimony in support of the WHPA.

In light of the recent decision by the U.S. government to resume using Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the race to protect vulnerable people from COVID-19, we are struck by the disparity between publicly disclosed information about the J&J vaccine and the extreme lack of information about other products marketed by the same company –…

The NWHN is closely following the emerging information on the safety of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. An unusual type of blood clot has been reported to occur in six women after they received the J&J vaccine. One woman died and one is hospitalized in serious condition.

Most people assume that cosmetics and other personal care products that are marketed and sold in the U.S. are safe and are regulated by the FDA. In fact, the federal Cosmetics Act—last updated in 1938—does not prohibit manufacturers from using dangerous ingredients in their products.

For too long, Black and Brown women’s reproductive rights have been harmed by institutions and governments. The 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the world’s primary document on women’s equality, could help block this abuse. But the U.S. has never signed.

The human right to wear one’s hair in its natural state is not protected for Black women and girls, a harmful reality rooted in historically racist practices of controlling Black women’s bodies.

‌Asbestos-contaminated‌ ‌talc‌ ‌in‌ ‌household‌ ‌products‌ ‌continues‌ ‌to‌ ‌sicken‌ ‌and‌ ‌kill‌ ‌innocent‌ ‌consumers‌ ‌who‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌know‌ ‌the‌ ‌cancer-causing‌ ‌danger‌ ‌lurking‌ ‌in‌ ‌their‌ ‌medicine‌ ‌cabinet.‌ ‌Most‌ ‌people‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌ know‌ ‌that‌ ‌the‌ ‌talc‌ ‌found‌ ‌in‌ ‌everyday‌ ‌products‌ ‌like‌ ‌baby‌ ‌powder‌ ‌and‌ ‌makeup‌ ‌may‌ ‌be‌ ‌contaminated‌ ‌with‌ ‌asbestos,‌ ‌with‌ ‌devastating‌ ‌results.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Talc‌ ‌is‌ ‌used‌ ‌in‌…

In order to engage BIPOC in clinical trials, companies and our government both need to espouse and engage in values, ethics, and practices that protect human lives; recognize and respond to the challenges that impact participation; and earn the trust of rightfully suspicious potential trial participants.

Long-standing systemic inequalities including racism and inadequate access to care have led to unconscionable health disparities during the pandemic.

Statement from M. Isabelle Chaudry, Esq., Senior Policy Manager, National Women’s Health Network: House Ways and Means Committee

About the Author

M. Isabelle Chaudry

M. Isabelle Chaudry, J.D. is the Senior Policy Manager for the NWHN, responsible for developing and leading their women’s health and consumer safety policy efforts, with a particular focus on historically marginalized communities.

Isabelle actively lobbies, at the grassroots and federal level, on women’s health and cosmetics policy and has provided expert testimony before Congress and the Food and Drug Administration. Her advocacy has been recognized by Democracy Now!, PBS NewsHour, Good Morning America, NBC News and a host of other publications and networks.

Over the course of her career, Isabelle has held clerkships with government, labor unions, and nonprofit organizations including, AFL-CIO, National Education Association, National Lawyers Employment Association (as a Peggy Browning Fellow), and Congress. Prior to NWHN, Isabelle served as a law clerk for the Senate HELP Committee, and as an Associate Staff Counsel at the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

Isabelle earned a J.D. with distinction in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Howard University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard University. She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and is currently an LL.M. candidate in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law. She also serves as a Board Member for Women’s Voices for the Earth.