Senate screening of ‘Below the Belt’ spotlights fight against endometriosis

In a bipartisan bid to boost the fight against endometriosis, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) co-hosted a screening Wednesday night of “Below the Belt,” a documentary film exploring the devastation caused by the chronic disease.

Directed by Shannon Cohn, the film highlights the struggle facing women with the disease, in which tissue grows outside the uterus, causing severe pain and sometimes infertility that affects around 10 percent of women worldwide.

“It is strange, however, to see Elizabeth Warren and Mitt Romney promoting the same thing,” Romney joked.

Former Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) executive produced the film, which features four women — including his granddaughter — who share the devastation endometriosis caused in their lives. Hatch encouraged Warren and Romney to get involved and carry the torch, the two senators said.

“We are all here tonight, in large part, in this room, because of Orrin Hatch,” Warren said.

Video messages from Hatch and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, another executive producer, were played before the screening in the Senate Hart Building.

“The goal with this film is to change both hearts and minds in ways that lead to progress in policy, research, funding, education and widespread awareness,” Clinton said in the virtual introduction.

Others on the star-studded list of executive producers include actresses and activists Rosario Dawson, Corinne Foxx and Mae Whitman.

Dawson, who has endometriosis, said the Washington screening was key for advocates to make their case for increased funding directly to lawmakers.

“This isn’t just a women’s issue. But the fact that that’s how it’s dismissed, the fact that that’s how it’s not prioritized, is just absolutely scary and killer, honestly,” Dawson told The Hill. “And I’m just so grateful that we’re at this point.”

The film’s team has held screenings around the world ahead of the premiere on PBS in June.

Tear-jerking testimonials of the family and friends of the women in the movie provided insight into the lack of knowledge and awareness around endometriosis, which causes the four featured women years of pain, fear, uncertainty, prescriptions, repeated surgeries and medical debt.

Cohn emphasized the need for all stakeholders to work together to shine light on the issue and provide congressional support for those suffering from the disease, thanking the audience for their dedication to improving women’s health care together.

“If there is a disease on the planet that needs all of us working together, it’s endometriosis,” Cohn said.

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