Ladies In Red: Congresswomen Call Attention To Heart Health

Many female members of Congress are wearing red at the Capitol today, and it isn't only because it's Valentine's Day.

More than 25 female members of Congress are donned some bright red suits and scarves around Capitol Hill today. D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton joined in the cause to raise awareness about heart disease in women.

"We need to disabuse women of the notion that heart attacks are for men," Holmes says. "We particularly need to do that in the District of Columbia, where we have some of the highest rates of virtually everything, but certainly heart disease."

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S., but Holmes Norton says heart problems are often associated with men.

"Women need to have their conscious raised because they take care of men who die earlier  often from heart attacks  and women don't even know that women have heart disease in greater number than men," Norton says.

As for the day, Holmes Norton says it was only fitting.

"Valentine's Day I think is the best way to get the attention of women and everybody else," Holmes says.

February is also American Heart Month.