[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S9988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 201, which was 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 201) designating the month of 
     September 2003 as ``National Prostate Cancer Awareness 
     Month''.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; that the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; and that any statement 
relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 201) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
       Whereas countless families in the United States have a 
     family member living with prostate cancer;
       Whereas in the United States, 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed 
     with prostate cancer in his lifetime;
       Whereas between 1993 and 2003, prostate cancer has been the 
     most commonly diagnosed nonskin cancer and the second most 
     common cancer killer of men in the United States;
       Whereas the American Cancer Society estimates that in the 
     United States, 220,900 men will be diagnosed with prostate 
     cancer and 28,900 men will die of prostate cancer in 2003;
       Whereas 30 percent of new cases of prostate cancer occur in 
     men under the age of 65;
       Whereas in the United States, as the population ages, the 
     occurrence of prostate cancer will also increase;
       Whereas African Americans suffer from a prostate cancer 
     incidence rate that is up to 60-percent higher than White 
     males and are more than twice as likely as White males to die 
     of the disease;
       Whereas in the United States, a man with 1 family member 
     diagnosed with prostate cancer has double the risk of 
     developing prostate cancer, a man with 2 such family members 
     has 5 times the risk, and a man with 3 such family members 
     has a 97-percent risk of developing the disease;
       Whereas screening by both digital rectal examination (DRE) 
     and prostate specific antigen blood test (PSA) can diagnose 
     the disease in earlier and more treatable stages, thus 
     reducing prostate cancer mortality;
       Whereas developing research promises further improvements 
     in prostate cancer prevention, early detection, and 
     treatment; and
       Whereas educating the people of the United States, 
     including health care providers, about prostate cancer and 
     early detection strategies is crucial to saving the lives of 
     men and preserving and protecting families: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the month of September 2003 as ``National 
     Prostate Cancer Awareness Month'';
       (2) declares that the Federal Government has a 
     responsibility--
       (A) to raise awareness about the importance of screening 
     methods and the treatment of prostate cancer;
       (B) to increase research funding that is commensurate with 
     the burden of the disease so that the causes of, and improved 
     screening, treatments, and a cure for, prostate cancer may be 
     discovered; and
       (C) to continue to consider ways for improving access to, 
     and the quality of, health care services for detecting and 
     treating prostate cancer; and
       (3) requests the President to issue a proclamation calling 
     upon the people of the United States, interested groups, and 
     affected persons to promote awareness of prostate cancer, to 
     take an active role in the fight to end the devastating 
     effects of prostate cancer on individuals, their families, 
     and the economy, and to observe the month of September 2003 
     with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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