Today, women are able to access emergency contraception, a safe, second-chance option for preventing unintended pregnancy in a timely manner without a prescription. Clinton helped make this happen, and I can tell the story from having watched it unfold.

Although stories about reproductive health and politicization of science have made headlines recently, stories of how these problems are solved are less often told. On August 31, 2005 I resigned my position as assistant commissioner for women’s health at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because the agency was not allowed to make its decisions based on the science or in the best interests of the public’s health. While my resignation was widely covered by the media, it would have been a hollow gesture were there not leaders in Congress who stepped in and demanded more accountability from the FDA.

have been working to improve health care for women and families in the United States for nearly 20 years. In 2000, I became the director of women’s health for the FDA. I was rather quietly doing my job when the debate began in 2003 over whether or not emergency contraception should be provided over the counter (OTC). As a scientist, I knew the facts showed that this medication, which can be used after a rape or other emergency situations, prevents an unwanted pregnancy. It does not cause an abortion, but can help prevent the need for one. But it only works if used within 72 hours, and sooner is even better. Since it is completely safe, and many women find it impossible to get a doctor’s appointment within two to three days, making emergency contraception available to women without a prescription was simply the right thing to do. As an FDA employee, I knew it should have been a routine approval within the agency.

(CNN) — As Donald Trump and his allies attempt to raise dubious questions over Hillary Clinton's health, the Republican nominee has invited new scrutiny into his own medical history.

Like Clinton, Trump has released minimal of information, most notably in the form of a December 2015 letter of a few paragraphs from his personal physician, a gastroenterologist, that described his blood pressure and lab results as "astonishingly excellent" while suggesting a President Trump would be the "healthiest individual ever elected."

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, found much of that language surprising and, in some cases, almost comically lacking in objective data.

"I don't even know what to make of this letter," he told CNN's Ashleigh Banfield on Tuesday. "Whether you are a doctor or not, that degree of hyperbole and these words being used is very unusual. People don't write like that. ... 'Strength and stamina are extraordinary' -- what does that mean, exactly?"

Neither the Trump campaign nor Dr. Harold Bornstein, his physician, responded to requests for comment.

No Democrat has won Utah since 1964, but Donald Trump’s high unfavorables in the state are giving Hillary Clinton's campaign hope — so much so that they're opening a campaign office there.

Tuesday night, top Clinton aide Jake Sullivan will appear at a field office opening in Salt Lake City, according to the campaign.

Looking first at the national level, we see that Clinton continues to dominate the race just as she did in the week after the party conventions. According to RealClearPolitics, Clinton (47.0%) with a 5. 5 point lead over Trump (41.5%). In a four way race that includes Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, Clinton’s lead dips slightly to 4.4 points and the average shows Clinton checking in at 41.6%, Donald Trump at 37.3%, Johnson at 8.9%, and Stein at 3. 4 %. The Pollster numbers for a head-to-head match and a three-way race that includes Johnson but not Stein are roughly comparable. These numbers have been relatively stable in the roughly three weeks since the party conventions, with some fluctuations in both Clinton’s and Trump’s numbers, but nothing significant in either direction for the past week or so, as the RealClearPolitics chart for the two-way race shows:

While they are a generally good guide to the state of the race at a given point in time, national polls aren’t really where the election is decided, of course. That happens at the state level and in the Electoral College. If anything, though, Clinton seems to be in a far better position there than she is in the national polling, as this map from RealClearPolitics shows:

Based on this map, the election would essentially be over if today were Election Day even before any of the states still considered toss-up states, represented by those colored gray, are decided. The bad news for Trump is that Clinton has seemingly cut off not only the Virginia-Ohio-Florida option for Trump, but she has also cut off what is likely his only other path to 270 Electoral Votes.

Just as I felt the need to fight for children’s rights as a young woman, and just as Chrissy, Astrid and Max are waging their own fights today, young women all over this country know that the issues we’re fighting for in this campaign – from alleviating student loan debt, to preserving access to Planned Parenthood and abortion services, to fighting for equal pay and paid leave – are not theoretical.

They’re real fights that matter to your lives. You’re out there every day doing something about them. And learning from your efforts will make me a better president.

So, I want you to know that I see you.

I see you making the drive to a clinic 200 miles away.

I see you dropping your daughter off at daycare so you can make it to class on time.

I see you making the case to your boss for a long-overdue raise, even though you may worry about speaking up for what you deserve.