[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 128 (Tuesday, November 14, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8624-H8628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GYNECOLOGIC CANCER EDUCATION AND AWARENESS ACT OF 2005
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 1245) to provide for programs to increase the
awareness and knowledge of women and health care providers with respect
to gynecologic cancers, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 1245
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Gynecologic Cancer Education
and Awareness Act of 2005'' or ``Johanna's Law''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall carry
out a national campaign to increase the awareness and
knowledge of health care providers and women with respect to
gynecologic cancers.
(b) Written Materials.--Activities under the national
campaign under subsection (a) shall include--
(1) maintaining a supply of written materials that provide
information to the public on gynecologic cancers; and
(2) distributing the materials to members of the public
upon request.
(c) Public Service Announcements.--Activities under the
national campaign under subsection (a) shall, in accordance
with applicable law and regulations, include developing and
placing, in telecommunications media, public service
announcements intended to encourage women to discuss with
their physicians their risks of gynecologic cancers. Such
announcements shall inform the public on the manner in which
the written materials referred to in subsection (b) can be
obtained upon request, and shall call attention to early
warning signs and risk factors based on the best available
medical information.
SEC. 3. REPORT AND STRATEGY.
(a) Report.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
Congress a report including the following:
(1) A description of the past and present activities of the
Department of Health and Human Services to increase awareness
and knowledge of the public with respect to different types
of cancer, including gynecologic cancers.
(2) A description of the past and present activities of the
Department of Health and Human Services to increase awareness
and knowledge of health care providers with respect to
different types of cancer, including gynecologic cancers.
(3) For each activity described pursuant to paragraph (1)
or (2), a description of the following:
(A) The funding for such activity for fiscal year 2006 and
the cumulative funding for such activity for previous fiscal
years.
(B) The background and history of such activity,
including--
(i) the goals of such activity;
(ii) the communications objectives of such activity;
(iii) the identity of each agency within the Department of
Health and Human Services responsible for any aspect of the
activity; and
(iv) how such activity is or was expected to result in
change.
(C) How long the activity lasted or is expected to last.
(D) The outcomes observed and the evaluation methods, if
any, that have been, are being, or will be used with respect
to such activity.
(E) For each such outcome or evaluation method, a
description of the associated results, analyses, and
conclusions.
(b) Strategy.--
(1) Development; submission to congress.--Not later than 3
months after submitting the report required by subsection
(a), the Secretary shall develop and submit to the Congress a
strategy for improving efforts to increase awareness and
knowledge of the public and health care providers with
respect to different types of cancer, including gynecological
cancers.
(2) Consultation.--In developing the strategy under
paragraph (1), the Secretary should consult with qualified
private sector groups, including nonprofit organizations.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
For the purpose of carrying out this Act, there is
authorized to be appropriated $16,500,000 for the period of
fiscal years 2007 through 2009.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
[[Page H8625]]
Georgia (Mr. Deal) and the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
General Leave
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on
the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume, and I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 1245, the
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005, or Johanna's
Law. This bill takes several important steps forward in helping to
educate women and their health care providers about the dangers and
early warning signs of gynecologic cancers.
Ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers are grouped together as the
major gynecologic cancers. And as members of the Energy and Commerce
committee recently learned during consideration of the CDC's National
Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, gynecological
cancer, specifically cervical cancer, was once the leading cause of
cancer deaths among women in the United States. Over the past century,
we have made great strides in reducing both the morbidity and the
mortality associated with cervical cancer. We also have programs in
place, like the CDC's Early Detection program, that provides free
screening and referral services for women who cannot afford to pay for
screenings themselves.
When experts have compared cervical cancer screening and survival
rates of the United States to other industrialized countries, the
United States ranks near the top. We do a good job of screening for
cancer, and our treatment facilities are in fact the best in the world.
With the recent discovery of a new vaccine approach to prevent the
transmission of the HPV virus, I am hopeful that one day we will be
able to eradicate most if not all cases of cervical cancer.
But, Mr. Speaker, there is much more work to be done on gynecological
cancers. Too many women don't know enough about the disease to ask
their doctors or go to regular screenings. Too many cases of
gynecologic cancers go unidentified or untreated until it is too late.
This is the underlying purpose for the legislation before us today.
This bill takes the important step of creating a national public
service campaign to educate women and their health care providers on
gynecologic cancers. The campaign will help to raise awareness of the
problem, the warning signs, and remind women to get screened regularly.
Within 6 months of enactment, the legislation will require the
Department of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress
on all education and outreach activities related to gynecologic cancers
and other cancers. This information will give Congress and the
executive branch the tools to identify what activities are ongoing and
what is being done, what is working, and what could be done better.
At this time I would like to thank my colleagues, Mr. Issa, Ms.
Granger, Mr. Burton, Mr. Levin, and Ms. DeLauro for their hard work on
this important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues
to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in strong support of H.R. 1245, the Gynecologic Cancer
Education and Awareness Act, also named Johanna's Law. It is an
important piece of legislation which would provide for programs to
increase the awareness and knowledge of women and health care providers
with respect to gynecologic cancers.
Gynecologic cancers include cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and
uterine cancer. Gynecologic cancers affect approximately 80,000
American women each year and take nearly 29,000 lives. While diagnosis
and treatment methods are becoming more targeted and accurate for
gynecologic cancers, most women do not understand the symptoms or signs
of gynecologic cancer and, therefore, are frequently diagnosed late. A
late diagnosis often makes treatment more difficult and lengthens the
need for medical care.
Unfortunately, many women and their physicians are unaware of the
symptoms of gynecologic cancers. A recent poll conducted for the
Gynecologic Cancer Foundation found that 47 percent of surveyed women
could not name any symptoms of gynecologic cancers.
Johanna's Law would increase awareness by directing the Secretary of
the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a nationwide
campaign to increase women's awareness and knowledge of gynecologic
cancers. This campaign would include maintaining and distributing a
supply of written materials that provide information to the public
about gynecologic cancer. It would also aid in the development of
public service announcements intended to encourage women to discuss
their risk for gynecologic cancers with their physicians.
Furthermore, this legislation would instruct the Secretary of HHS to
take a closer look at both its past and present activities regarding
gynecologic cancer awareness and education in hopes of learning what
works and what does not, and what needs to be done to help with early
detection and treatment of gynecologic cancers.
While we have made significant progress in fighting those cancers,
progress such as the newly developed and improved cervical cancer
vaccine, one of the biggest threats that remains is the continued need
for increased awareness of gynecologic cancers. Quite simply, knowledge
is power. Providing women and their doctors with up-to-date information
about the causes and symptoms of gynecologic cancers will strengthen
and support women's health.
I am proud to support this bipartisan bill to improve women's health,
and I applaud the bill's sponsors, Mr. Issa, Mr. Levin, and Mr. Burton
for their dedication to women's health.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to
the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this important
piece of legislation. As we come to the close of the 109th Congress,
many have used the term ``do-nothing Congress.'' This bill, certainly
on a bipartisan basis, is a ``do-something bill.''
We have in this country for a very long time have had people, women
in this case, dying needlessly of undiagnosed cancers. I want to thank
Chairman Burton, Ranking Member John Dingell, his staff, and
particularly my cosponsors, Mr. Levin very much in particular, who
championed this bill in a previous Congress, and he and I worked
together tirelessly with Congressman Dan Burton, Kay Granger and Rosa
DeLauro in this Congress to get bipartisan support. This bill has far
more than half the Congress as cosponsors. It has been worked out, and
we are very hopeful this will still become law in this Congress.
With that, I want to take no more time than to once again say that in
this Congress there are some things we did as a bipartisan body that I
am very proud of. This is one of them. And I thank my colleagues on
both sides of the aisle for working so tirelessly to make this a
reality
I rise today to urge support for my bill, H.R. 1245, ``the
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005,'' otherwise
known as ``Johanna's Law.''
Every seven minutes a woman is diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer.
In 2005, over 80,000 women were diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer and
over 27,000 women died. The most common gynecologic cancers include
cancer of the ovaries, cervix and uterus.
Too many women are dying because they were diagnosed too late.
Education and early detection are the keys to saving women's lives and
reducing these statistics. If diagnosed in the early stages, the 5-year
survivability rates are as high as 95 percent.
Gynecologic cancers, when detected early, can often be prevented from
becoming fatal. Since all women are at risk--no matter their ethnic
background or socioeconomic status--it is critical that we find a way
to inform women about the steps they can take to maintain their health.
[[Page H8626]]
Due to the private and intimate nature of these cancers, oftentimes
women are uncomfortable or embarrassed discussing issues surrounding
gynecologic cancers with friends and family. Thus, it is vital that we
have a national dialogue to provide accurate and timely information to
the public and the medical community.
By simply educating women about these cancers, we have an opportunity
to save lives. The messages are simple: learn the symptoms, have an
annual exam, know your family history and talk to your doctor.
Unfortunately, most women do not know the signs or the symptoms
surrounding gynecologic cancers. Thus, we need an aggressive national
education and awareness program that brings together the appropriate
federal agencies, the medical community, and the private sector.
Passage of H.R. 1245 will help make this a reality.
There is a lot of excellent information provided by both the private
and government sectors--specifically by the Gynecologic Cancer
Foundation and the National Cancer Institute--and I commend their
efforts. Tragically, most women and families look at these Web sites or
pamphlets after cancer is diagnosed. The information needs to get out
before diagnosis of a gynecologic cancer.
Education and awareness is an appropriate federal role. Education,
coupled with research on improved diagnostic tools and cures, will lead
to reductions in cancer deaths. While science and research are needed
for long term success, education and awareness can save lives now.
Education empowers women to make the best choices regarding their
health care.
Last year, I discovered first-hand how important early diagnosis and
education can be. My Legislative Director, Paige Anderson, was
diagnosed with cervical cancer. She is one of the lucky ones--she
stands here today as a cancer survivor. However, it was not until after
diagnosis that she learned about HPV, cervical cancer and the
importance of yearly pap smears and pelvic exams. Unfortunately, her
story is not unique.
Paige's journey led me to work with Representatives Sander Levin, Dan
Burton, Kay Granger, Rosa DeLauro and introduce H.R. 1245, ``the
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005,'' which has 257
bipartisan cosponsors.
``Johanna's Law'' has afforded me the privilege and honor to meet and
work with an amazing group of survivors, patients, doctors and families
who have lost loved ones to these awful cancers.
As I've spoken and met with other Members and staff on H.R. 1245, it
is surprising how little is known about gynecologic cancers. In fact,
most do not know that a pap smear only helps diagnose cervical cancer.
This test does not screen for uterine or ovarian cancer. Most do not
know that there are early warning symptoms for ovarian cancer. This is
why we need H.R. 1245, so we can fill the void that currently exists.
I would like to take this time to thank several people who have been
instrumental in passing this bill. I greatly appreciate the time and
effort that Chairman Barton and Ranking Member Dingell have spent on
this bill. We could not have passed this bill without the help of
Committee and Leadership staff on both sides of the aisle.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1245.
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I would now yield 4 minutes to one of the
lead cosponsors of this legislation, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Levin).
Mr. LEVIN. Thank you very, very much for yielding. This is an
important and somewhat emotional day. More than 4 years ago, Sheryl
Silver first told me about her sister Johanna, who died of ovarian
cancer in 2000 after a brave and hard fought battle.
Johanna Silver Gordon was an active, health conscious woman who
taught high school at Southfield Lathrup High School in my
congressional district. She came from a family of doctors and was
conscientious about her health, but when she experienced the first
symptoms of ovarian cancer, she thought they were gastrointestinal. By
the time she was diagnosed, her cancer was in stage 3.
I discovered that Johanna's story was all too common. Each year,
77,000 women are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer, ovarian, cervical,
or uterine. Most of them, like Johanna, do not have the information
they need to recognize their early symptoms and are unaware that they
are at high risk.
With these illnesses, lack of information often costs women their
lives. Ovarian cancer, the deadliest of gynecologic cancers, is highly
treatable and has survival rates of 80 to 90 percent if detected in
stage 1 or 2, but has a survival rate of less than 20 percent if
diagnosed late, as it most often is. And of these cancers, only
cervical cancer today has a reliable screening test that can be used
for asymptomatic women, making public education for women and their
primary care physicians even more important.
This legislation, as has been mentioned by my colleagues, would
create a national public information campaign to educate women and
health care providers about the risk factors and early warning signs of
these cancers. It would also require HHS to quickly develop a national
strategy for getting the facts out to women at the highest risk and to
health care providers that see them when they first develop these
symptoms. We strongly believe that HHS's strategy should include
public-private partnerships that leverage all the resources available
and all the expertise that exists on this subject.
So here we are today, after the tireless work of so many people, and
we are voting on Johanna's Law. Tireless work from her family,
including her loving sister Sheryl Silver, and her mother, Ann Gonts
Silver, who is celebrating her 91st birthday today, and the cancer
survivors and family members across the country who rallied to this
effort, and the physicians and the organizations that lent invaluable
support, and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as mentioned,
especially Darrell Issa, Rosa DeLauro, Kay Granger, and Dan Burton.
And if I might, let me lastly thank Morna Miller. Without her
tireless efforts as a member of our staff over the last 3 years in
developing this legislation and helping shepherd it to the House today,
we would not be here at this moment.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support Johanna's Law and
strike a blow against gynecologic cancer.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to simply add my support to this
bill. I had the great opportunity when I was in the State Senate in
North Carolina to learn much about HPV in particular. And while I
consider myself a fairly well educated woman in many cases, I knew
nothing about the HPV until the organization Women in Government
educated those of us in the State legislature about this completely
preventable cancer.
We are looking for a way to prevent cancer and to cure cancer in this
country and we now have a mechanism for doing that. And whatever we can
do to spread the word to women that this particular cancer can be
prevented, we need to do.
{time} 1230
And so I am a supporter of this legislation and hope that we can do
much in this country, State by State, as well as nationally, to educate
women and help them understand the perils of many of these diseases and
how they can prevent them.
We were able in North Carolina to pass a model piece of legislation.
Unfortunately, it has not been passed in all the States, but I hope
that more States will pick it up and help educate women about these
diseases and how they can be prevented.
So I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to another primary
sponsor of this legislation, Congresswoman DeLauro.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank everyone who has made this
legislation such a priority in the Congress, Congressmen Issa and Levin
for their leadership, as well as Sheryl Silver for her passion and her
tenacity. This bipartisan coalition is a testament to the simple fact
that when it comes to life and death, life and death issues like
cancer, Congress speaks with one voice. It must.
This is a special moment. Whether it is a family member, a friend, or
if you are a survivor yourself, each of us knows the deadly toll that
gynecological cancer takes. Twenty years ago I found out for myself
when, during an unrelated doctor's visit, I was diagnosed with ovarian
cancer. I underwent radiation treatment for 2\1/2\ months, and I am
proud to say that I have now been cancer-free for 20 years.
But no one should have to depend on luck when it comes to life and
death. Right now, almost 21,000 women are diagnosed every year with
ovarian cancer, nearly 16,000 of whom will die.
[[Page H8627]]
Ovarian cancer claims the lives of nearly three-quarters of women
diagnosed simply because the disease is not detected until it has
reached an advanced stage. This disease has a 45 percent 5-year
survival rate.
The tragedy is that ovarian cancer, like other gynecologic cancers,
can be cured if it is detected soon enough. When ovarian cancer is
detected in the early stages, 95 percent of women survive longer than 5
years, and most are cured completely. Unfortunately, women have never
had a reliable and accurate method of screening for ovarian cancer in
the early stages. On top of that, not only do many doctors misdiagnose
this disease, but 85 percent of women report they do not know which
symptoms to look for.
We have made progress, of course, through research at the NIH,
Department of Defense, and with the recent approval of the HPV vaccine.
But Johanna's Law recognized something critical, that until we have
accurate screening methods, public education is one of the most
critical weapons we have toward beating gynecologic cancers like
ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer. In creating a Federal campaign to
educate women and health care providers alike, as this legislation
does, we can take a bold step toward ensuring that women know which
symptoms to look for and how to seek help before it is too late.
This legislation has been a long time coming, and to be clear, it
represents only a first step. But every inch of progress we make
fighting these deadly diseases gets us closer to a cure. And that is a
fight that every woman has a stake in, every family has a stake in, a
fight the Silver family has dedicated itself to making sure we win.
And so I thank you. I thank you for helping us pass this vital bill
and take such an important step forward. I was given a second chance at
life. Others should have that same opportunity. It is about time
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Hall).
Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, of course I rise today in support of H.R.
1245, the Gynecologic Cancer Education bill, also known as Johanna's
bill.
This very important bill authorizes an early detection and awareness
campaign directed at women and health care providers. Approximately
80,000 women a year will be diagnosed with some form of gynecological
cancer, and close to 28,000 women will die from these cancers. Early
detection is the key to survival. But so many women and their providers
are unaware of symptoms and risk factors.
Unfortunately, there isn't currently a reliable screening test for
ovarian cancer. Women need to know the symptoms so that they can be
diagnosed early. Studies demonstrate that early detection is the key to
survival. When diagnosed early, women have a 90 percent chance of
survival. However, that number drops to 50 percent or less when these
cancers are diagnosed in the late stages. It is a sobering statistic
that over three-fourths of the women with ovarian cancer are not
diagnosed until the latter stages, making this the fifth leading cause
of cancer death among American women. We need to turn these statistics
around.
By creating a national public awareness campaign conducted through
the Department of Health and Human Services, this bill helps distribute
materials that will provide information to the public. This bill will
also help develop public service announcements that encourage women to
discuss their risk for gynecologic cancers with their health and care
providers and alert them to early warning signs. Finally, HHS will
award demonstration grants to nonprofit organizations to develop
innovative outreach programs.
I urge Members to pass this important legislation today so that we
can begin to improve and save the lives of many women with gynecologic
cancers. I am pleased that we are moving forward on this legislation,
and I encourage this body to move legislation aimed at mending the SGR
for physicians before Congress recesses.
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, again I am proud to join my colleagues in
supporting this legislation that will increase awareness and knowledge
of women with respect to gynecologic cancers. This bill, as we have
heard, will increase the survivability of these cancer diagnoses and
prevent cancer deaths. I urge all of my colleagues to support this
important legislation
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Johanna's
law and I thank Representatives Levin, Issa, DeLauro and Burton and
their strong bipartisan coalition for all of their hard work in
bringing this bill to the floor today.
This bill honors the memory of Johanna Silver Gordon and the
thousands of women who have lost their lives to gynecologic cancer
because they were not diagnosed until the late stages of the disease.
This year, more than 80,000 women will be diagnosed with gynecologic
cancer, and more than 28,000 women will die from these diseases.
However, there is very little awareness about these deadly diseases.
According the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, NOCC, only 15 percent
of women are familiar with the symptoms of ovarian cancer, and 82
percent have never talked to their doctors about the symptoms and risk
factors.
If caught in the early stages of the disease, the five-year survival
rate for ovarian cancer is 90 percent. However 75 percent of women are
diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease, when the prognosis is
very poor. It is clear that we must do something to increase awareness
about this disease and promote early diagnosis. Johanna's law will
authorize a national campaign directed at women and their providers to
promote early detection of gynecologic cancer and raise awareness about
these devastating diseases.
I would like to thank one of my constituents, Barbara O'Brien, a 9
year survivor herself, for her passionate advocacy and her dedication
to raising awareness about this incredibly important issue.
Education is a critical first step and this bill will significantly
increase awareness. However, we must also continue to pursue the
research necessary to find a diagnostic test, better treatments and
ultimately a cure for this horrible disease so that succeeding
generations will have to turn to the history books to learn that there
was ever a disease called ovarian cancer.
I urge support of this important legislation
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
1245, the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act, or
``Johanna's Law,'' a bipartisan, common-sense measure that will help
save the lives of thousands of American women each year.
Uterine cancer is the most common form of gynecologic cancer, and
ovarian cancer is the deadliest. Unlike cervical cancer, there is no
reliable early detection screening test for these cancers. This means
that 80,000 women will be diagnosed with gynecologic cancers this year,
and almost 30,000 will die because their illnesses were detected too
late.
Most women don't recognize the symptoms of gynecologic cancers, and
many doctors initially misdiagnose them.
Early detection is the key to successful treatment of gynecologic
cancers. We must do better. This bill will help save the lives and
improve the health of our Nation's mothers, wives and daughters.
Johanna's Law was named for the sister of one of my constituents from
Hallandale, Florida, who lost her life to ovarian cancer. I want to
congratulate Sheryl Silver and her family for their hard work,
dedication, and commitment to saving the lives of millions of American
women.
This bill will authorize millions of dollars in desperately needed
funds to help raise awareness and increase knowledge about these
cancers that will lead to early detection, effective treatment, and
saved lives.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join 256 of my colleagues as co-sponsors
of this important piece of legislation.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R.
1245, a bill to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services
to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and
knowledge of women with respect to gynecologic cancers.
Two months ago marked the seventh annual Gynecologic Cancer Awareness
Month. I expressed my strong belief that raising public awareness,
detecting gynecological cancers early, and educating women to the risk
of reproductive tract cancers are powerful methods with which to combat
this disease in my September 29, 2006, statement in honor of
Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month. Today, we continue the important
work to raise public awareness of gynecologic cancers through passage
of this bill. We also reaffirm that detecting gynecological cancer
early and educating women to the risk of reproductive tract cancers are
key methods with which to combat this disease by passing this
legislation.
It is important to recognize that H.R. 1245 enjoys the support of 257
members
[[Page H8628]]
of this body. The bill has been named in honor of Johanna Silver
Gordon, who lost her life to a battle with ovarian cancer which was not
diagnosed until it had reached an advanced stage. Today we honor her
life and her fight against cancer. We also renew our commitment to
legislation to be known as Johanna's Law once enacted that will help
save the lives of others who are at risk of gynecologic cancers.
A poll recently released by the Gynecological Cancer Foundation
revealed that 45 percent of American women could not name a single
symptom common to gynecological cancers. This fact alone suggests more
must be done in terms increasing awareness. Education and outreach on
gynecological cancers deserves to be a national priority and an ongoing
effort of the Department of Health and Human Services.
I urge that this House adopt H.R. 1245, and I urge my colleagues'
support for additional and continued action towards increasing research
funds and treatment options for those individuals who have been
diagnosed with forms of gynecologic cancer.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of
H.R. 1245, `Johanna's Law' or the ``Gynecological Cancer Education and
Awareness Act of 2005.'' I want to thank Chairman Nathan Deal and
Chairman Joe Barton, and the Energy and Commerce Committee staff, for
bringing this bill to the floor today. I also want to thank my
colleagues, Representative Darryl Issa and Representative Sander Levin,
the lead sponsors of this bill, who have worked so tirelessly for over
two years to guide this bill through the legislative process. I want to
thank the 257 House Members and 42 Senators, Republican and Democrat,
Conservative and Liberal, who co-sponsored this critically needed bi-
partisan legislation.
I also want to congratulate Ms. Sheryl Silver, the architect of this
bill. Sheryl's sister Johanna Silver Gordon (who this bill is named
after) died after her battle with ovarian cancer in 2000; and Sheryl
found the will and the strength to turn her personal tragedy into a
passionate crusade to help make sure that other women will not die
needlessly from gynecological cancers.
And last but by no means least; I want to thank Ms. Kolleen Stacy, a
constituent of mine and a dear friend who is currently fighting her own
personal battle with ovarian cancer. Kolleen first brought this bill to
my attention and once told me that her most fervent wish was to live
long enough to see this bill signed into law. Today, thanks to the
efforts of so many, we take a huge step forward towards fulfilling
Kolleen's dream. And I would say to her that today's debate is a
victory for all women, but in my mind, Kolleen, this is your day.
The word ``cancer'' evokes powerful emotions. Along with many of my
colleagues, I know first-hand how devastating cancer can be to the
individual who has been diagnosed as well as their family. Ovarian
Cancer for example, is the deadliest of the gynecological cancers, and
it is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths among women living in
the United States. Each year nearly 80,000 women in this country are
diagnosed with a new case of gynecological cancer, and an estimated
28,000 die from these diseases. This is a national tragedy, and what
makes it even more tragic is the fact that many of those deaths could
have been prevented if more women and their doctors knew the risk
factors and recognized the early warning signs of ovarian cancer and
other gynecological cancers.
That is why I am such a proud co-sponsor and passionate supporter of
Johanna's Law. When it is detected early, ovarian cancer is very
treatable, unfortunately, ovarian cancer is one of the most difficult
cancers to diagnose because symptoms are sometimes subtle and may be
easily confused with those of other diseases. As a result, only 29-
percent of ovarian cancer cases in the U.S. are diagnosed in the early
stages. When the disease is detected before it has spread beyond the
ovaries, more than 95-percent of women will survive longer than five
years. But, in cases where the disease is not detected until it reaches
the advanced stage, the five-year survival rate plummets to a
devastating 25-percent.
As there is still no reliable and easy-to-administer screening test
for ovarian cancer, like the Pap smear for cervical cancer or the
mammogram for breast cancer, early recognition of symptoms is clearly
the best way to save a woman's life. Without increased education about
ovarian cancer and recognition of women who are at higher risk for
developing ovarian cancer, many women and their doctors will continue
to ignore or misinterpret the symptoms of the disease. Any woman is at
risk for developing a gynecological cancer. We owe it to our mothers,
our wives and our daughters to do all we can to both raise awareness of
these terrible diseases, and to fund the research necessary to stamp
out this kind of cancer once and for all.
Johanna's Law is a giant step forward because for the first time
ever, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will have explicit
authority to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness
and knowledge of women with respect to gynecological cancers, which
shall include: (1) maintaining a supply of written materials to provide
information to the public on gynecological cancers; and (2) developing
and placing public service announcements to encourage women to discuss
their risks of gynecological cancers with their physicians. The bill
also requires the Secretary to study current and past outreach and
education activities and then to develop a strategy to improve the way
we increase awareness and knowledge of both the public and health care
providers with respect to different types of cancer, including
gynecological cancer.
I personally think we need to do more to attack this problem, but I
am confident that with a national Public Service Announcement campaign
describing risk factors and symptoms and encouraging women to talk to
their doctors about their risk of gynecological cancers, we can and
will increase early detection of these deadly cancers; and, when
possible, help women reduce their risk of ever contracting them in the
first place.
Johanna's Law is a good bill, it is good public policy. I urge my
colleagues to support this bill, and I urge our colleagues in the
Senate to act quickly and move this critically needed legislation to
the President's desk for his signature. This is literally a matter of
life and death.
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1245, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having
responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as
amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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