[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20769-20770]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             ILLUMINATION OF THE GATEWAY ARCH IN ST. LOUIS

  Mr. TALENT. Mr. President, I rise tonight in support of legislation 
which I have sponsored along with Senator Bond that would authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to illuminate the gateway arch with pink 
lighting in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I want to say how 
much I appreciate the cooperation from both sides of the aisle on this 
important measure so that we can get it done and passed in time to 
honor those who have struggled against this disease during

[[Page 20770]]

that month which has been set aside to recognize what they have done.
  It is amazing how many American families have been touched by this 
disease. Speaking personally, my mother fought and eventually lost the 
battle against breast cancer. Her struggle certainly had a profound 
impact on me and on my family.
  Currently, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths 
for women in the United States. Approximately 40,000 women in this 
country will die from the disease in 2004, and the American Cancer 
Society estimates that a woman in the United States has a 1 in 7 chance 
of developing invasive breast cancer during her lifetime, and this risk 
was 1 in 11 in 1975.
  For the past 20 years, October has been designated as Breast Cancer 
Awareness Month. Events around the world are dedicated to spreading the 
message of early detection so that prevention and the ongoing search 
for a cure can continue. Throughout the month, women are reminded in 
many ways that regular screening for breast cancer continues to be the 
most effective way to detect this disease in its earliest stages and 
therefore save lives.
  Recently, I was contacted by a group of Missourians who wanted to 
highlight the need for breast cancer awareness. They wanted to 
illuminate the arch, which is, of course, a landmark not only in 
Missouri but in the country--a landmark with both national and local 
significance. They wanted to illuminate it with pink lighting in order 
to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. People everywhere 
associate the pink ribbon and the color pink as a symbol of breast 
cancer awareness and the ongoing search for the cure.
  Lighting the arch with pink lighting will also recognize the millions 
of women who are currently battling breast cancer and those who have 
lost their lives fighting their disease.
  The bill I introduced will give the Secretary of the Interior the 
authority to allow for that kind of lighting of the arch one night in 
October. I am hopeful that women not only in Missouri but all around 
the country and around the world will see the arch and take the message 
of that lighting to heart.
  I am very grateful to the majority leadership and the Democratic 
leadership as well for clearing this bill. I am grateful to the Senate 
for passing it by unanimous consent this evening.
  I yield the floor.

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