[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 21931-21936]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 21932]]

     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 
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.

[[Page 21933]]

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.
  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

[[Page 21934]]

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. 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.

[[Page 21935]]

  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 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 
bipartisan 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.

[[Page 21936]]

  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.
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives passed 
H.R. 1245, known as ``Johanna's Law,'' which will increase the 
awareness and knowledge of gynecologic cancers. This legislation 
authorizes a national campaign to increase awareness of gynecologic 
cancers--including the creation of written information to distribute to 
the public.
  This legislation was named after a constituent of mine, Johanna, who 
was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1997. Johanna was a healthy and 
active 54-year-old woman who had retired from teaching from Southfield 
Lathrup High School when she was diagnosed. It was a shock to Johanna 
and her family when they received the devastating news. Sadly, the 
cancer was not caught in time and she passed away on August 29, 2000.
  Each year, more than 80,000 women are diagnosed with a gynecologic 
cancer. One-third--or 28,000--of these women will die from the disease. 
Survival rates drop 50 percent or less if the cancer is not diagnosed 
early.
  Early detection is critical to successfully treat gynecologic 
cancers. Many symptoms of this type of cancer often resemble non-
threatening illnesses. Furthermore, many gynecologic cancers do not 
have a reliable screening test for the general public to utilize.
  It is important that we educate the American public on early 
detection and prevention of gynecologic cancers. Public awareness is 
crucial to curbing this deadly disease, and Johanna's Law will help 
spread knowledge that can save the lives of women that may die 
needlessly each year. I thank my colleagues for supporting the passage 
of ``Johanna's Law.''
  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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