Once you’ve found your partners, it’s time to approach decision-makers. If your solution involves a change to law— and, sometimes, even if it doesn’t — those individuals will be lawmakers.
As a pediatrician, you are a child health expert, and for purposes of legislative advocacy – you are also (very importantly!) a legislator’s constituent. You live in a state, county and district that is represented by those elected to office.
As a constituent, your voice and vote matters. For legislators, being elected to and remaining in office means listening to their constituents, learning about what matters most to them, and acting on their concerns. As both a pediatrician and a constituent, your voice can be influential. By learning how to effectively communicate, interact and build relationships with your legislators and their staff, you can advance your child health advocacy goals in the short- and long-term.
Sometimes, when it comes to issues impacting children, it may not be that lawmakers don’t agree with a certain policy, but that the issue simply hasn’t made it to the top of their agenda.
Learn how you can tailor your approach to discussing issues with lawmakers.
A conversation is a great starting point, but it’s just that: a start. To move forward, you’ll want to build and maintain relationships with lawmakers, community leaders, and any other decision-makers that can affect your issue.
In order to include the child health perspective on an issue, a lawmaker may ask for a pediatrician voice to testify before a legislative committee.
Advocacy in action! Then AAP President Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP, testifying before a Senate committee on the need to protect children from gun violence.
