[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2110]]
                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. STEVE R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 22, 1997

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today and join my 
colleagues in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 
We have all heard the figures: Last year, 182,000 women were diagnosed 
with breast cancer, 46,000 died of it, and currently 2.6 million women 
are living with it.
  These staggeringly high numbers are one of the reasons why some of 
the first bills I put my name on as a cosponsor when I came to Congress 
last January were breast cancer related. One bill would guarantee a 
minimum hospital stay of 48 hours for a woman having a mastectomy. 
Another would require health insurance companies that provide coverage 
for mastectomies to cover reconstructive breast surgery that results 
from a mastectomy. Still another would require insurance plans to cover 
annual mammograms for women ages 40 and above who choose to have the 
test.
  These are important bills, and I hope they will move quickly through 
their respective committees and that the leadership will bring them to 
the floor so we can pass them and have them signed into law. However, 
as helpful as these bills may be, I wish that they were unnecessary. I 
wish we did not need to worry how to best treat the disease, or to 
create guidelines for hospital stays and insurance coverage. I wish 
that someday, someday very soon, breast cancer will be a thing of the 
past.
  The medical community has made huge advances in detecting and 
treating cancerous tumors, and I applaud their accomplishments. Thanks 
to numerous studies, no one will dispute that early detection is a key 
component to surviving this devastating illness. In addition, Congress 
helped with the passage of the Balanced Budget Act which provided 
Federal funding for annual screening mammograms for women over the age 
of 39. With newer forms of treatment available, early detection almost 
ensures survival.
  Even with all that has been done, however, we still know very little 
about how to prevent breast cancer. More research needs to be done. 
Since at least two-thirds of breast cancer occurs in women with no 
known risk factors, we must work to find why these women acquired the 
disease. To do this we must continue to support researchers so they are 
able to find a cure.
  Women who battle breast cancer are heroes. They survive and endure 
pain and treatment that no person should have to suffer. However, we 
need them to continue to be heroes in other aspects of life. We need 
them to continue to be mothers, wives, and daughters, teachers, 
workers, and full contributors to society. Some 2.6 million women have 
breast cancer. This number is unacceptably high, and will always be 
until it reaches zero. Let's continue to work together until breast 
cancer is a crisis of the past.