The State House and Silver Linings. Today is a very special day. Today, I submitted a Bill at the Massachusetts State House to help prevent strokes in Women.  This is something I am passionate about and something I have been working on for years. This is a bill that would ask doctors  and health care providers to administer a blood test  to women to see if they test positive for a blood clotting disorder, called Factor V Leiden, prior to women being put on birth control. Women who have factor V Leiden (FVL) are at a significant greater risk for a stroke when taking birth control pills. Factor V Leiden can also increase the risk of stroke during pregnancy and for a period of time post-partum. As of today, there is no existing set policy for screening women for FVL prior to giving them birth control pills.  Today, with the support of Allyson Perron, Government Relations Director for the American Heart Association, and Massachusetts State Representative Dan Ryan this bill is being introduced. A big thank you to Sean Getchell, Representative Ryan’s aid, for the years and years he has spent listening to me talk about this, and to Allyson Perron who has also spent years helping me but this Bill together. This Bill still has a long way to go, but it is a start.