[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12273]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING MOTHER'S DAY AND SUPPORTING THE BREAST CANCER AND 
                   ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2007

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my mother 
and all the women in my life. On behalf of these women, I demand 
answers to the question of what causes breast cancer. This disease has 
impacted virtually every American's life. More than three million women 
are currently living with breast cancer, and each year tens of 
thousands of women die from this disease.
  A woman in the United States has a 1 in 7 chance of developing 
invasive breast cancer during her lifetime--this risk was 1 in 11 in 
1975. Breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death 
among women. While important advances have been made, we still do not 
know what causes this disease, or how to prevent it.
  Scientific evidence about whether the environment plays a role in the 
development of breast cancer is scarce. There is a clear need for 
research on the potential relationship between environmental factors 
and breast cancer, and federal commitment is critical to the overall, 
national strategy and to the long-term research investments needed for 
this effort to succeed.
  To further this important research, I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 1157, the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act. This 
bipartisan legislation was introduced again this Congress by 
Representatives Lowey, Myrick and Capps.
  Madam Speaker, this bill would create a competitive, peer-reviewed 
research program at the National Institutes of Health to study the 
potential links between breast cancer and the environment. It is 
modeled after the successful peer-reviewed Breast Cancer Research 
Program at the Department of Defense. A key component of this bill is 
inclusion of consumer advocates in the peer review and programmatic 
review process.
  Let's continue to fight the war on breast cancer, and invest in 
getting the answers to eradicating this disease, in honor of all our 
mothers. Pledge your support today, by joining me in co-sponsoring the 
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, and in working towards 
enacting it this year.

                          ____________________