[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 20543-20547]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



          SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER

  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 278) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives regarding the importance of education, early detection 
and treatment, and other efforts in the fight against breast cancer.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 278

       Whereas an estimated 175,000 women and 1,300 men will be 
     diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, and an estimated 43,300 
     women and 400 men will die of the disease;
       Whereas breast cancer is the most common form of cancer 
     among women, excluding skin cancers;
       Whereas breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer 
     death among all women and the leading cause of cancer death 
     among women between ages 40 and 55;
       Whereas breast cancer can often be treated most 
     successfully if detected early on;
       Whereas education, regular clinical and self-examinations, 
     regular mammograms, and biopsies (when appropriate) are 
     critical to detecting and treating breast cancer in a timely 
     manner;
       Whereas the American Cancer Society recommends that all 
     women aged 40 and over have annual screening mammograms and 
     clinical breast examinations by health professionals, that 
     women aged 20 to 39 have clinical examinations every three 
     years, and

[[Page 20544]]

     that all women aged 20 and over perform a breast self-
     examination every month; and
       Whereas the House of Representatives as an institution and 
     Members of Congress as individuals are in unique positions to 
     help raise public awareness about the detection and treatment 
     of breast cancer and to support the fight against breast 
     cancer: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that--
       (1) all Americans, and above all women, should take an 
     active role in the fight against breast cancer by using all 
     the means available to them, including regular clinical and 
     self-examinations, regular mammograms, and biopsies (when 
     appropriate);
       (2) the role played by national and community organizations 
     and health care providers in promoting awareness of the 
     importance of regular clinical and self-examinations, regular 
     mammograms, and biopsies (when appropriate), and in providing 
     information, support, and access to services, should be 
     recognized and applauded; and
       (3) the Federal Government has a responsibility to--
       (A) endeavor to raise awareness about the importance of the 
     early detection of, and proper treatment for, breast cancer;
       (B) continue to fund research so that the causes of, and 
     improved treatment for, breast cancer may be discovered; and
       (C) continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the 
     quality of, health services for detecting and treating breast 
     cancer.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn).
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In 
our country this year, 175,000 women will be diagnosed with breast 
cancer. That is very personal to me in that my sister has been 
diagnosed with it, my sister-in-law, and a very close first cousin 
recently died of this disease.
  The facts that face American women is one in eight women in this 
country will encounter this disease at some time in the future. 
Prevention is a key to diagnosis. And as a practicing physician that 
has diagnosed multiple women with breast cancer, I know the importance 
of improving awareness and improving the knowledge of women in our 
country and men as to the preventive measures that can take place.
  I also think it is incumbent upon me to make sure that the American 
public is aware of the connection between the incidence of breast 
cancer and abortion.
  There has now been, throughout the United States and Europe, 32 
studies of which 29 absolutely connect a marked increase in the 
likelihood of breast cancer when one has had an abortion. That goes up 
if that abortion occurred before 18 or after 30, but nevertheless, the 
risk is twofold.
  Unfortunately, many in our country do not want the benefits of that 
scientific data known, and that is unfortunate. Nevertheless, I think 
the key thing is that we want women to be aware of what they can do to 
protect themselves against breast cancer. We want to encourage the 
awareness on the part of women in our country for risk factors 
associated with that besides family members, smoking, as well as 
abortion.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 278, the importance of 
education, early detection and treatment, and other efforts in fighting 
breast cancer. I will be brief because I believe we will have a handful 
of speakers that want to talk on this.
  As my friend the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) said, October 
is National Breast Cancer Month. One out of eight women in this country 
will at some point in their lives be diagnosed with breast cancer.
  Nothing is more important than early detection. Clearly, we know that 
nothing is more important than education and women doing everything 
from self-examination to mammograms to making sure that they make 
frequent visits to the doctor and especially examinations after the age 
of 40.
  We founded in Ohio some time ago, about 6 or 7 years ago, the 
Northeast Ohio Breast Cancer Task Force. That task force has been 
especially active in working with local physicians and nurses and 
working with other providers and especially has been active in 
educating women of all ages throughout Northeast Ohio in terms of 
education and in terms of self-examination and all of that.
  So, Mr. Speaker, this resolution is important for all of us. It is 
important for our daughters and for our wives and for our mothers and 
for our sisters and for our families.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass).
  Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from 
Oklahoma for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to rise to ask my colleagues to 
support this breast cancer awareness resolution, a similar one I 
introduced last year, as well, which also passed.
  This will indeed be the second consecutive Congress to pass such a 
resolution. I look forward to building on this work with my colleagues 
in future Congresses.
  I also want to thank the House leadership and the gentleman from 
Virginia (Chairman Bliley) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Bilirakis) and, of course, the gentlemen on both sides of the aisle 
here for their help and leadership on this issue, as well as the 
leadership of Members like the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Dunn) 
and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly) and the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Bentsen) as well as over a hundred other Members of Congress 
who chose to cosponsor this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution outlines the devastating impact that 
breast cancer has on far too many women as well as men every single 
year. But it also notes the critical difference that education, early 
detection and effective treatment can make.
  Moreover, it reminds each and every one of us of the role that we can 
play both as individual Members and as an institution in educating our 
constituents and raising awareness of breast cancer. And that is really 
the key to this resolution. The Congress can play a role in 
communicating an important message to the American people and that 
message and the effective communication of it may save countless lives 
over the next year.
  Now, the last decade saw a leveling off of the incidence rate and an 
increase in the survival rate. But as we heard a minute ago, breast 
cancer continues to remain the most common form of cancer among women 
and the second leading cause of cancer deaths nationwide.
  More than 180,000 women and some 1,400 men will be diagnosed with 
breast cancer this year; and nearly 41,000 women and 400 men will die 
of this disease.
  Mr. Speaker, no woman, no man, no family should have to suffer all 
that comes with breast cancer. But each and every one of us must do 
everything we can to raise awareness of this disease and the importance 
and methods of early detection and treatment.
  As was mentioned before, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month; 
and National Mammography Day is on October 20. With this in mind, I 
urge my colleagues to pass this resolution today and to adhere to its 
call upon us all to fight this deadly disease.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of comments.
  The Congress is considering H. Res. 278, which it is late in the 
session, and this is a good thing. As I said, I support it. I am a 
cosponsor. It seems like if we look at this, virtually every Member of 
the House almost is a cosponsor. But this is a resolution that other 
than saying, we are against breast cancer, we are fighting against 
breast cancer, we as a body want to go on record saying we think breast 
cancer is a bad thing, encouraging women to do self-examination 
beginning at the age of 20, encouraging women between 20 and 40

[[Page 20545]]

to get every-three-year examinations from their doctor, encouraging 
women from 40 to get annual examinations especially if they have a 
family history, all of those things, and this Congress has not, Mr. 
Speaker, tackled the real issues in health care.
  We still have not passed a prescription drug bill through this 
Congress. We still have not passed a Patients' Bill of Rights through 
this Congress. It is locked in conference committee. We still have not 
sent to the President the Ryan White bill. We still have not sent to 
the President the bill on health disparities. The real issues that we 
ought to be addressing we have simply shunted side.
  We are passing this resolution. Again, I support this resolution. But 
we are passing resolutions that say nice things and tell us all to do 
good things, but we simply are not moving in the direction this 
Congress should move.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to my friend, the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Brown) for yielding me the time and also recognize and commend the work 
of the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) for his leadership on 
this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in 
America excluding skin cancers and claims the lives of approximately 
40,000 women in the United States each year. My friend, the gentleman 
from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), has brought this to our attention time and 
time again on health matters.
  An estimated three million women in the United States are living with 
breast cancer. Another two million have been diagnosed. And an 
estimated one million do not yet know they have the disease.
  One out of every eight women in the United States will develop breast 
cancer in her lifetime, a risk that was one out of 14 in 1960. So we 
are making progress. But it is not good enough.
  This year a new case will be diagnosed every 3 minutes, and a woman 
will die from breast cancer every 12 minutes. Of all women diagnosed 
with breast cancer, 48 percent will die from it within 20 years.
  This resolution recognizes the importance of education, early 
detection and treatment of breast cancer, which is critical to millions 
of women and men and their families across this country.
  This resolution is especially timely because October is the month we 
recognize this horrible disease. All across America people are walking, 
spreading education materials, sponsoring free mammograms, and hosting 
charity walks to commemorate loved ones that are still fighting the 
battle against breast cancer.
  As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to follow the tenet 
laid out in this resolution. We must raise the profile of the 
significance, the importance of regular checkups, breast self-
examinations, and early mammograms.
  I encourage my colleagues to do the same and to promote and 
participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities across this 
country. I commend those who brought it to this floor, and I am proud 
to be a cosponsor of this legislation. I salute Members on both sides 
of the aisle.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from New Hampshire 
(Mr. Bass) for his leadership on this resolution. It is important to 
note that in fact information is power and power leads to decisions 
that can save people's lives.
  The other thing I would like to answer in direction to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Brown) and his comments, we have the breast and cervical 
awareness bill that is being held up at this very time. The reason it 
is not coming out of conference is because there are people who do not 
want women to have information about cervical cancer.
  The fact that they are objecting to the fact that women would be 
notified that human pappiloma virus, the number one sexually 
transmitted disease in the country that infects almost 40 million women 
today and 30 million men, is the number one cause 99 percent of the 
time that causes cervical cancer and we cannot get that bill that will 
help women of moderate and poor means the treatment that they need for 
breast and cervical cancer is because somebody does not want them to 
have that information.
  And so, the people that do not want women to have that information 
are the people that do not want us to ever do anything despite the fact 
that condoms are not 100 percent effective protection, and in fact they 
are not protective at all according to the director of the NIH and the 
National Cancer Institute.
  So, back to the subject at hand. This is an important bill. I am very 
thankful to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass), as is the 
whole Committee on Commerce, for his leadership in this.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1115

  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New 
Hampshire (Mr. Bass) for bringing this resolution to the floor today. 
Increased awareness is vital if we are, in fact, to empower women in 
the fight against breast cancer. I thank my colleague for drawing 
attention to this issue.
  Over the past 10 years, we have made great strides in the fight 
against breast cancer through an increased investment in biomedical 
research at the National Institutes of Health. But sadly, for many 
women, the fight against breast cancer also means waging a battle with 
their HMO over the amount of time that they can stay in a hospital.
  Studies have shown that the average hospital stay for breast cancer 
patients in Connecticut and across the Nation is decreasing. Despite 
the medical standard of 2 to 4 days to recuperate and gain physical and 
emotional strength, insurance companies regularly refuse to cover a 
hospital stay and women find themselves forced to leave the hospital 
only hours after surgery, still groggy from the anesthesia and in 
physical and emotional pain.
  This is the reason I introduced the Breast Cancer Patient Protection 
Act, H.R. 116. The legislation ensures that women receive the care they 
need and deserve while recovering from breast cancer surgery by 
guaranteeing a minimum stay of 48 hours for a woman who is having a 
mastectomy and 24 hours for a woman undergoing a lymph node removal. It 
simply says that any decision in favor of a longer or shorter hospital 
stay will be made by a doctor and a patient, not an HMO.
  The bill has the bipartisan support of over 220 cosponsors, more than 
enough, I might add, to be able to pass this House. Yet regrettably the 
leadership of this House has refused to allow the Breast Cancer Patient 
Protection Act to be considered on the floor. Resolutions and raising 
awareness are vital, and I wholeheartedly support this effort. It is 
through education and the awareness of this issue that, in fact, so 
much and so many of our resources have been directed at breast cancer. 
We also need to empower women as they struggle with breast cancer. I 
urge the leadership of this House to bring this bipartisan bill to the 
floor.
  I have said on this floor many times in the past that I am a survivor 
of ovarian cancer. When I went home, I had a very loving family. They 
were not health care professionals but they cared deeply and took care 
of me. Having the additional stay in the hospital for someone who is 
facing a life-threatening illness is so critically important to both 
their physical well-being and survival as well as their emotional well-
being and survival. We can pass a bill that has 220 cosponsors. It is a 
bipartisan bill. I hope that I can engage my colleagues in this effort 
to help us to bring this bill to the floor.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  In response, I would just say I would hope that the gentlewoman would 
help us provide the knowledge about human

[[Page 20546]]

papilloma virus as she has on this because that causes 99 percent of 
the cervical cancer in this country and we have an attempt at covering 
up the pathogenesis and the significant penetration of that disease in 
this country. I thank the gentlewoman for her work.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from New York (Mrs. McCarthy).
  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this 
legislation because this disease is too close for comfort for so many 
women and their families. On Long Island, one in nine women have had to 
face the living nightmare of breast cancer.
  October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I look forward to the day 
when we no longer have to dedicate a month to bring attention to this 
disease, because that will mean we have found a cure.
  Mr. Speaker, as a nurse, I have seen firsthand the toll that this 
disease takes on everyone involved. In addition, my area has one of the 
highest incidences of breast cancer in the country. On Long Island, 
approximately 127 of every 100,000 women will be diagnosed with breast 
cancer compared with 100 of every 100,000 nationwide. Because of these 
frightening statistics, we must increase funding for research, we must 
find what the environmental causes are, we must raise awareness, and we 
must find a cure today, because time is running out for too many of our 
loved ones.
  I urge all of my colleagues to pass this legislation and help find a 
cure today.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Bentsen).
  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this 
legislation that would express the sense of the House of 
Representatives that all Americans should take an active role in the 
fight against breast cancer. As a cosponsor of this legislation, I 
believe it is vitally important that we raise awareness about this 
disease.
  The statistics about breast cancer are alarming. In 1999, an 
estimated 175,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer. In 
addition, more than 45,000 Americans will die of this disease this 
year. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women aged 40 
to 55. This legislation will help to educate more Americans about this 
disease and how early detection of breast cancer can save lives.
  With early detection, many breast cancer patients can have successful 
outcomes. All Americans should use all of the diagnostic tools 
available to them to catch this disease in its earliest stages. If 
found, many breast cancers can be cured. However, late detection 
reduces the survival rates of these patients. Today, all Americans 
should get regular clinical breast exams as well as mammograms. All 
women should also be encouraged to conduct monthly self-examinations. 
These self-examinations can empower women to learn more about their 
bodies and to seek treatment if irregularities are found. Women should 
also get biopsies when appropriate to determine whether any cancer is 
present.
  This legislation would also urge the House of Representatives to 
provide maximum Federal funding for breast cancer research. As a 
cochair of the Congressional Biomedical Caucus, I am strongly 
supporting efforts to provide this funding for such research. Earlier 
this year, we voted in the fiscal year 2001 Department of Defense 
appropriations bill to include $175 million in Federal funds for peer-
reviewed breast cancer research.
  I am also working to double the budget for the National Institutes of 
Health where much of our biomedical, basic clinical research is funded. 
For the past 2 years, we have successfully provided 15 percent more 
funding for the NIH. This year, the House is working to provide a $20 
billion budget for the NIH, the third installment on our 5-year effort 
to double the NIH's budget. Today, only one-third of peer-reviewed, 
merit-based research grants are funded by the NIH. This additional 
investment will ensure that our Nation's scientists have the resources 
they need to find a cure for breast cancer and other ailments. The NIH 
budget has not been finalized, but I am hopeful that we can get this 
passed.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that we in Congress have a role in informing 
all Americans about breast cancer and the need for early detection. 
This legislation is an important first step in providing the 
information that Americans need to combat breast cancer while 
encouraging more Federal funding for finding a cure. I urge my 
colleagues to support the measure.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Shaw).
  Mr. SHAW. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. I think the fact 
that we have Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a very positive step 
forward. There is technology out there that helps tremendously in early 
detection. I have a very special interest in this particular subject. 
My wife Emily lost both her sister and her mother to cancer, and they 
both had breast cancer. Obviously in my family, my daughters and my 
wife are very, very cautious to be sure that they have their regular 
mammograms and that they do what is necessary in order to find early 
detection should they be stricken with this terrible disease.
  Also, I would like to point out the new technology, the digital 
technology out there that is just now coming online. The gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Kleczka) and I have cosponsored a bill along with others 
in order to fund the digital equipment and this new technology. I would 
urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Wisconsin (Mr. Barrett).
  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this 
resolution. This is an important resolution and one that I hope all 
Members of the House will support as well.
  This is important for me personally. Today is my mother's birthday, 
and I want to wish my mother a happy birthday. But I also want to tell 
my fellow Members that it is equally important because she is a breast 
cancer survivor, and she is able to celebrate this birthday because of 
the treatment that she received. This is a disease that, if treated at 
its earliest stages, is certainly a curable disease; and I think the 
message that we have to get across to all women in this country is the 
importance of self-examinations and the importance of getting treatment 
at the earliest possible stage.
  In honor of my mother, I would urge all my fellow Members to support 
this resolution.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. Breast cancer, as 
the gentleman from Wisconsin said, is a formidable threat. Complacency 
is a luxury that we cannot afford, not when 180,000 women are diagnosed 
with breast cancer each year in this country, not when one in eight 
women will be diagnosed during their lifetime, not when 46,000 women 
die each year from this disease.
  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H. Res. 278 which 
underscores how important it is to combat breast cancer with every tool 
at our disposal. It means early detection, it means education and 
efforts to raise public awareness, it means research, it means access 
to treatment. It is going to take this momentum of what all the people 
around the country are doing and a commensurate response from the 
public sector to fight and win this battle.
  It is also going to take a Congress which does its job, not just in 
reminding the public that education, that early detection, that 
prevention, all of those are important but it is also going to take a 
Congress which does its job by passing a prescription drug bill which 
this Congress has failed to do, by passing the Patients' Bill of Rights 
which the House-Senate conference committee has locked up, with passing 
the Ryan White bill, with passing other legislation that really matters 
in the fight against breast cancer.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page 20547]]


  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I 
want to relate a story about a woman by the name of Sharon Coburn Wetz. 
She was a scrub nurse RN for a surgeon in Midwest City, Oklahoma. The 
vast majority of her early career was spent in assisting on surgery of 
the breast. Ironically, in 1983 she developed breast cancer herself as 
a very young woman. This last year she died as a result of that 
disease. She spent the 15 years before she died doing nothing but 
helping other women in diagnosis, treatment and reaching for recovery 
as an expert in mammography, treatment medically and assistance in the 
breast cancer center at the University of Oklahoma. I think it is 
fitting that her name be mentioned at this time because in the true 
spirit of most women and most mothers, what she did was gave of 
herself.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) for the concluding statements.
  Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time. I want to thank all of my colleagues in this body for supporting 
this significant resolution. As we have seen, there is probably no 
Member of Congress who cannot cite someone close to them who has had 
breast cancer. I will only relate one individual who is close to me who 
died of breast cancer some 28 years ago during a time when treatment 
for breast cancer was barbaric at best. She was 48 years old when she 
was diagnosed, and she died at the age of 51. That individual was my 
mother.
  I want to commend this Congress for paying special attention to this 
significant disease, celebrating the progress that we have made in the 
last 20 years but understanding that there is enormous work yet to go, 
and we all must put our shoulders to the wheel to find a cure for this 
horrible disease.


                             General Leave

  Mr. COBURN. 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 (Mr. LaTourette). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Oklahoma?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. EVERETT. Mr. Speaker, today, I lend my wholehearted support to H. 
Res. 278, the Importance of Education and Early Detection in Fighting 
Breast Cancer Act and thank my colleague, Representative Charlie Bass, 
for introducing this resolution.
  Breast cancer strikes an estimated 180,000 women a year and kills 
over 46,000 annually. As we all know, the best defense against this 
dreaded disease is early preventative screenings and treatment. This is 
crucial.
  If cancer is detected, it is extremely important to have access to 
reliable and understandable information on breast cancer. Sources of 
knowledge and assistance, such as the American Cancer Society, deserve 
our thanks and recognition for their continued good work.
  Americans also need information on all of the treatment options 
available to them. Unfortunately, I have learned this from personal 
experience.
  Last January, my wife received the life-altering news that she had 
breast cancer. Despite her annual check-ups and mammograms, our doctors 
told us that she faced undergoing a radical bilateral mastectomy. We 
felt extreme shock that the prognosis was so drastic.
  However, after much research on the subject, she made the decision 
that this was indeed the best option for her. Her surgery was a 
complete success, and she has not even required any followup 
chemotherapy or medication.
  So, I close with the same message--We must support and encourage the 
utilization of all of the modern-day prevention, detection and 
treatment options available. Our experience has shown us that this is 
essential in the battle against breast cancer.
  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 278 and 
in honor of the millions of women who have shown the strength and 
courage to fight back against breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most 
common form of cancer among women in the United States. This year, 
almost 182,800 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed and an 
estimated 40,800 women will die from this terrible disease.
  Breast cancer touches not only the lives of those afflicted with the 
disease, but also their loved ones. Recently, my fellow North Dakotans 
came together to pray for a courageous woman, a woman who has dedicated 
her life to improving the health and welfare of others. Heidi Heitkamp, 
our state Attorney General, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like so 
many afflicted with this disease, however, the strength, determination, 
and sheer will that Heidi has displayed through this most difficult of 
times has been an inspiration to her family, friends and all who know 
her.
  Mr. Speaker, the story of Heidi Heitkamp, like that of so many other 
women, is also a story of hope. Each year, the number of deaths caused 
by breast cancer has slowly fallen. Increased education and increased 
technology has extended the life and increased the survival rate of 
those afflicted with this disease. The fight against breast cancer can 
be won. I call on my colleagues to join the fight by increasing funding 
for breast cancer research, increasing access to screening and 
treatment options, and increasing awareness. I call on my colleagues to 
fight for the lives of their mothers, sisters and other loved ones.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 278, 
which expresses the sense of the House that all Americans, and above 
all women, should take an active role in the fight against breast 
cancer by using all the means available to them, including regular 
clinical and self-examinations, regular mammograms, and biopsies.
  By calling for greater awareness and education for all women, may 
will benefit from early detection and by following up a screening with 
medical treatment, fewer women will succumb to this devastating 
disease.
  Mr. Speaker, this issue is especially important to me and to my 
constituents, especially those in Rockland County. Recent studies have 
found that Rockland County has the highest rate of breast cancer in New 
York State and according to some studies, in the Nation. This 
legislation will help inform many of my constituents of how they can 
take an active role in the flight against breast cancer. Moreover, this 
resolution applauds and recognizes the role played by national and 
community organizations and health care providers in promoting 
awareness of the importance of regular clinical and self-examinations, 
regular mammograms, and biopsies and in providing information, support, 
and access to services. I strongly support this legislation and urge my 
colleagues to fund support this measure.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 278.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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