Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is trying to downplay criticism of his decision to only choose men to take charge of crafting the Senate’s healthcare bill, and says that all of the 52 Republicans in the legislative chamber have a voice.

Mr McConnell had been criticised for choosing a group of 13 men to craft the Senate’s version of a healthcare repeal and replace bill following the House’s passage of their own version last week. Democrats had seized on the criticism of the 13-member boys club to say that it shows Republicans are pushing healthcare measures that will hurt women needing medical care.

Republican women signalled a willingness to accept Mr McConnell’s decision as the leader of their party in the Senate.

“That’s really about leadership,” Senator Susan Collins, the longest-serving Republican senator, told the Associated Press. “It seems to me they’ve already made their decision. The panel has apparently been meeting for some time, and I’m not a member of it.”

Others are keen on ensuring women voices are heard.

“I just want to make sure we have some women on it,” Senator Lisa Murkowski, also a Republican, said.

Republicans have been under fire for several provisions in the recently passed House healthcare bill that could take away healthcare services for women. Under a provision that would allow states to opt out of provisions that restrict insurance companies for charging higher rates for health insurance, several health protections for women could be lost. The Senate has vowed to make significant changes to the language of the bill that the House sent over, and that they may entirely rewrite their own bill.

The Senate may take significantly longer to negotiate their own bill, however, since senators are harder for party leadership to corral and tend to have outsized political personalities than their House colleagues. Some Republicans think that undoing the Affordable Care Act could be difficult because Americans are resistant to losing government services once they are given out.