Iowa Mothers Praise Bradley on Health Issues

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley stumped through the Iowa farmland Saturday, garnering the support of local women who praised his leadership on women’s health issues.

At a midafternoon news conference at a Dubuque hotel, eight mothers and local leaders credited Bradley for proposing a 1996 law guaranteeing mothers at least 48 hours in the hospital after giving birth. His efforts to pass that bill raised awareness about the issue of “drive-through deliveries,” they said, and led the Iowa Legislature to pass a similar bill months before the federal law was enacted.

Barbara Wickham, a 40-year-old teacher in Dubuque, said she had two children before the law was passed and had to leave the hospital 24 hours after their birth.

“I went home not knowing how to breast feed, how to care for them,” she said. “It ends up being a nightmare for some parents. I thank you, Mr. Bradley, for pushing this through. It’s really made a huge difference in our lives.”

Bradley’s supporters said Saturday that short hospital stays put them and their children in danger, since they had to leave before knowing if their babies exhibited signs of jaundice or other illnesses.

“When I went home with that baby, I did not know if I was on foot or horseback for that first week,” said Kelly McMahon, a 36-year-old nurse, who said she was in labor for 27 hours. “It scares me to think of the situation we were putting our families through at that time.”

Bradley said the 1996 law was an example of the work he’s done to promote women’s health--efforts he promised to continue if elected president.

“That was a fight that had a direct impact on the lives of women in this country,” he said.

Bradley is trying hard to bolster his support among women after several polls showed him drawing more support from men than women. Conversely, Vice President Al Gore, his rival for the Democratic nomination, draws more support from women. On Saturday, the former professional basketball player insisted that his lower popularity among women stems from the fact that “40% of the American public don’t know who I am.”

“I think women don’t know some of the things I’ve done in Congress, and some of the things I want to do,” the former senator from New Jersey said. “It’s simply a matter of getting the information to them.”

The Iowa news conference came days after the Bradley campaign released an ad featuring a woman who credits Bradley for the survival of her third child, born after the 1996 law took effect. Her first pregnancy had been difficult, and she said the new law gave her the courage to go through another pregnancy.

Critics have called the ad disingenuous, saying there’s no evidence her child lived because of the law. Bradley defended the ad, arguing that the woman was voicing her personal feelings.

Earlier in the day, about 200 people gathered in the crisp fall air in the leaf-strewn backyard of an Iowa City home. With the Iowa caucus just two months away, many said they were trying to learn as much as they could about the two Democratic candidates.

“I think it’s real exciting that we have the first say,” said A. Shoemaker, a retired Methodist pastor, who said he’s torn between whether Gore or Bradley would be a stronger candidate against Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republican front-runner. “I think we’re all aware of the responsibility we have to make.”