[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 193 (Monday, October 6, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 52005-52006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26557]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 193 / Monday, October 6, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 52005]]

                Proclamation 7029 of October 1, 1997

                
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 1997

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Every year we dedicate the month of October to focus on 
                breast cancer and to reaffirm our national commitment 
                to eradicate it. But for thousands of American women 
                and their families and friends, breast cancer is a 
                devastating reality that casts a shadow over their 
                lives every day. In this decade alone, nearly half a 
                million women will die of breast cancer, and more than 
                1.5 million new cases of the disease will be diagnosed.

                Our greatest weapon in the crusade against breast 
                cancer is knowledge; knowledge of its causes and 
                knowledge about prevention and treatment. My 
                Administration has established a National Action Plan 
                on Breast Cancer to unite organizations across the 
                country in a collaborative effort to find out more 
                about the disease and how best to respond to it.

                The Department of Health and Human Services is taking 
                the lead in this national effort, through education and 
                research at the National Cancer Institute and the 
                Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; through 
                nationwide screening and detection programs at the 
                Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; through 
                certification of mammography facilities by the Food and 
                Drug Administration; through prevention services and 
                treatment by health benefit programs such as Medicare 
                and Medicaid; and through increased access to clinical 
                treatment trials for cancer patients who are 
                beneficiaries in Department of Defense and Department 
                of Veterans Affairs programs. The Department of Defense 
                has also initiated a breast cancer research program to 
                reduce the incidence of breast cancer, increase 
                survival rates, and improve the quality of life for 
                women diagnosed with the disease.

                We can be proud of the progress we have made. One of 
                the most promising recent research achievements is our 
                increased understanding of the role of genetics in the 
                cancer process. We have learned that cancer is a 
                disease of altered genes and altered gene function, and 
                research into the relationship between breast cancer 
                and genes is helping us to better understand the basis 
                of the disease. However, we must ensure that progress 
                in genetic information is used only to advance and to 
                improve the Nation's health--not as a basis for 
                discrimination. That is why this year I have urged the 
                Congress to pass a law that prevents health insurance 
                plans from discriminating against individuals on the 
                basis of genetic information.

                High-quality mammography has also proved to be a 
                powerfully effective tool in the effort to detect 
                breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage. 
                The National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer 
                Society, and many other professional organizations 
                agree that women in their forties benefit from 
                mammography screening, and earlier this year I was 
                pleased to sign legislation that will help Medicare 
                beneficiaries with cost-sharing for annual screening 
                mammograms. The First Lady has also launched an annual 
                campaign to encourage older women to use the Medicare 
                mammography screening benefits.

[[Page 52006]]

                We have real cause for celebration during National 
                Breast Cancer Awareness Month this year: recent data 
                show that the breast cancer rate for American women is 
                declining. Heartened by this knowledge, let us reaffirm 
                our commitment to the crusade against breast cancer. 
                Let us ensure that all women know about the dangers of 
                breast cancer, are informed about the lifesaving 
                potential of early detection, receive recommended 
                screening services, and have access to health care 
                services and information. Let us continue to move 
                research forward to improve treatments and find a cure 
                for this disease. Working together, we can look forward 
                to the day when our mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, 
                and friends can live long, healthy lives, free from the 
                specter of breast cancer.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim October 1997 as National 
                Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I call upon government 
                officials, businesses, communities, health care 
                professionals, educators, volunteers, and all the 
                people of the United States to reflect on the progress 
                we have made in advancing our knowledge about breast 
                cancer and to publicly reaffirm our national commitment 
                to controlling and curing this disease.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and 
                twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 97-26557
Filed 10-3-97; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P