[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2106-E2107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 22, 1997

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, we have made progress in the war on breast 
cancer and the tragedy it causes. Early detection and aggressive 
treatment have enabled countless women across our Nation to survive 
this terrible disease.
  Yet, so much more remains to be done. Women continue to face a one in 
eight chance of developing breast cancer during their lifetimes. It 
remains the most frequent major cancer in women and the second leading 
cause of cancer deaths among women. Last year, an estimated 182,000 
women were diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 50,000 died of the 
disease.
  The Federal Government's support for breast cancer research has grown 
significantly in the past 10 years. The grants funded by the National 
Cancer Institute are on the cutting edge of science and have made 
important contributions to our understanding of this complex disease 
and to treatment.
  But because of a lack of funding, the National Cancer Institute is 
able to fund only a small percentage of the outstanding applications 
for research it receives. An estimated one out of every four grants 
that has been approved for funding by NCI's expert panels goes unfunded 
because of budgetary constraints. This is simply unacceptable.
  We must increase our investment in breast cancer research. We know 
very little about how to prevent the disease and treatment options are 
too few. At least two-thirds of breast cancers occur in women with no 
known risk factors.
  For example, we must gain a better understanding of the genetic basis 
of breast cancer, including more about the BRCA series of genes in 
Jewish women and others.
  Another important area of research is the link between breast cancer 
and the environment. We need to know more about so-called endocrine 
disruptors that are used to make pesticides, and other products.
  We also need to improve breast cancer detection. There are promising 
developments in new detection technologies such as magnetic resonance 
imaging and ultrasound which could eventually save countless lives.
  Each woman affected by breast cancer is a mother or a daughter or a 
sister or an aunt. And by that standard, breast cancer has torn apart 
the lives of literally millions in our country.
  Promising research remains unfunded and important questions are going 
unanswered. Yet, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and 
the cause of so much anguish.
  H.R. 1070, would increase breast cancer funding at the National 
Cancer Institute from $410 to $590 million, an increase of 40 percent.
  This is a bipartisan bill which I introduced with Connie Morella. We 
have 57 cosponsors and the list grows every day. The bill is supported 
by both the American Cancer Society and the National Breast Cancer 
Coalition.
  In addition to the vital work of the National Cancer Institute, the 
war against breast cancer is being fought by other Federal agencies. 
The excellent, innovative breast cancer research program at the Defense 
Department deserves continued congressional support.

  We have increased access to and improved the quality and safety of 
mammography screening. I am pleased that on October 1, the FDA issued 
its final rules on the Mammography Quality Screening Act, a bill 
enacted in 1992 with the strong support of the Congressional Women's 
Caucus. All facilities should now be in compliance with the act and 
women should no longer need to worry about the quality of their 
mammogram.
  In addition, the Federal Government has provided low-cost breast 
cancer screening for over 1 million women through the Center for 
Disease Control's breast and cervical cancer screening program. The 
budget for this program has increased from $50 million in 1992 to $140 
million in 1997. It's now available in all 50 States and is supported 
by private partners such as Avon and the YWCA. Of course, we need to 
continue to expand the program and target those women who are the most 
difficult to reach because of language and cultural barriers. No women 
in our Nation who needs a mammogram should go without one.
  Another important development at the national policy level has been 
the involvement of breast cancer advocates in decisions about how to 
allocate precious Federal research funds. Both at NIH and the Defense 
Department, advocates are adding a fresh perspective to review panels, 
helping scientists and administrators look at their research portfolios 
in important new ways. The National Cancer Institute has recently taken 
a significant step in this regard by involving advocates in its new 
breast cancer progress review group or PRG.
  But we must also turn our attention to legal protections for breast 
cancer patients and other women who may develop breast cancer. I have 
introduced a bill, H.R. 2275, with Representative Lazio to outlaw 
discrimination by

[[Page E2107]]

employers on the basis of genetic discrimination.
  Louise Slaughter is doing an outstanding job fighting insurance 
discrimination based on genetic information. Employment discrimination 
poses another threat to those women who want to be tested for the 
breast cancer gene but fear that the information will be used against 
them. Our bill would amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act to permit 
a cause of action for those who have been discriminated in the 
workplace on the basis of genetic information.
  Congress also needs to act on legislation which would provide a 
minimal standard of care for women undergoing a mastectomy. The DeLauro 
bill provides a 48-hour minimal hospital stay. The Eshoo and Kelly 
bills provide reconstructive surgery. Insurers must not turn women out 
on the street involuntarily after a major procedure such as a 
mastectomy and they must not see reconstructive surgery as merely 
cosmetic surgery. Unfortunately, Congress has yet to hold hearings on 
any of the bills dealing with this issue and that's simply not 
acceptable.
  Let's applaud the progress we have made in ending the scourge of 
breast cancer but now turn our attention to the many battles ahead.

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