[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
[October 27, 1996]
[Pages 1939-1940]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 1939]]


Remarks Announcing Anticancer Initiatives
October 27, 1996

    The President. Thank you so much. Thank you. First of all, thank you 
all for joining me on this beautiful, beautiful Sunday afternoon to 
discuss our common efforts to fight cancer.
    I want to thank Secretary Shalala and Dr. Susan Blumenthal for their 
tireless service on behalf of women throughout America. I thank Dr. 
Harold Varmus, the Director of the National Institutes of Health; Dr. 
Richard Klausner, the Director of the National Cancer Institute; and Dr. 
Stephen Joseph, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health. They have 
all been instrumental in the efforts we are here to talk about today.
    And thank you, Jane Reese-Coulbourne, for your courage, your 
dedication, your willingness to come up here and make a public statement 
today that represents the feelings, the convictions, the interests, and 
the hopes of millions and millions of people throughout the United 
States. Let me thank all the survivors and advocates who are here today 
and who fight the battle against cancer every day for all the rest of 
us.
    Our Nation is only as strong as our families are healthy. I have 
devoted a lot of time and thought to the question of what we need to do 
to help strong families survive and thrive and increase as we move into 
the 21st century. We have to help more people succeed at home and at 
work. But clearly, we have to help people live as long and as well as 
they can and then help families have the support they need when their 
family members are ill. That's why I was glad to sign the Kennedy-
Kassebaum bill to preserve health insurance options for people when a 
family member has been sick; why I was proud to sign the bill that bans 
insurance companies from forcing mothers and their newborn babies out of 
the hospital after 24 hours; why in our new balanced budget there are 
funds for more regular mammograms for women on Medicare and funds to 
give respite care for families who are caring for members with 
Alzheimer's.
    We have an enormous opportunity as we stand on the brink of this new 
century to take advantage of scientific possibilities, to help people 
live as long, as well as they can, and to build stronger families in the 
process. Nothing is more devastating to a family's strength than when 
someone is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease like cancer. As 
Jane said, I know about this from my own family's experience, and nearly 
every family does. This year alone nearly 1.4 million American men, 
women, and children will be diagnosed with some kind of cancer. This is 
the 25th anniversary of the National Cancer Act, and in those 25 years 
we've come a long way in the fight.
    This month is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to remember 
the terrible toll breast cancer has taken, to assess our progress, to 
redouble our efforts to find a cure. That's why I wanted us to come 
together today, to talk about the new steps we are taking in the fight 
against cancer, and breast cancer in particular.
    Since I took office we have mounted a comprehensive campaign to 
prevent and treat cancer. We are working to get tobacco out of our 
children's lives forever. We have accelerated FDA approval of cancer 
drugs and made it easier for patients to obtain promising therapies 
before they are formally approved. The Department of Health and Human 
Services, the Department of Defense, NASA, and the CIA have all joined 
forces to develop cutting edge imaging technology for the early 
detection of cancer.
    Most important of all, as has been said, we've increased spending on 
cancer research, treatment, and prevention by some $400 million. In the 
battle against breast cancer we've increased funding for research and 
prevention by nearly 80 percent since 1993. We launched a public 
awareness campaign to encourage older women to use Medicare to have 
mammograms. And my balanced budget goes even further, as I said. It will 
guarantee free annual mammograms to Medicare beneficiaries, removing all 
financial barriers that prevent some women from obtaining this vitally 
important test.
    We are making progress. The survival rate has gone up. Seven out of 
ten children with cancer survive it; that's up from one out of ten just 
25 years ago. The death rate for breast cancer has gone down every year 
in the last 7, has dropped by nearly 8 percent since 1990. Just last 
week, the NIH announced a milestone

[[Page 1940]]

in the human genome project, which is identifying the location and 
function of nearly every human gene. We've now mapped out 20 percent of 
all human genes, and anyone can use that map on the Internet. Soon we 
will know the genes that contribute to cancer and our genetic 
predisposition to inherit it and possibly then be able to prevent it 
before it strikes.
    But as far as we have come, we still have far to go. We must 
continue to build on our progress and strengthen our efforts. Today I 
announced three new steps to bring us closer to a cure and to improve 
the lives of those who do survive.
    First, we know that genetic research may be the key to understanding 
and curing breast cancer. In the last 2 years, scientists have 
discovered two genes that indicate susceptibility to breast cancer. This 
remarkable discovery is giving hope to women everywhere. Last month I 
signed a budget that reflects our values in devoting substantial 
resources to cancer research. Today I'm announcing we are directing $30 
million of that new budget to support and expand breast cancer genetic 
research at hospitals, universities, and labs all across America. This 
step represents a major increase in breast cancer genetic research. It 
will ensure the development of this promising new research and bring us 
that much closer to a cure.
    Second, we must all use the technology and we must use all the 
technology at our disposal to give women the information they need about 
breast cancer. We must unite the forces of the public and private 
sectors to achieve that goal. That's why I'm pleased to announce the 
launch of the new National Action Plan on Breast Cancer website on the 
Internet. This is easily accessible. The website address is right over 
there. It will answer the questions women have about early detection, 
clinical trials, and much more.
    And finally, there's no greater proof of the progress we've made 
than the more than 10 million Americans who have survived cancer. Many 
have special psychological, physical, and health care counseling needs 
that we are only beginning to understand. Some face recurrence of their 
illness. Some can't get health insurance. I'm proud to have passed 
landmark legislation to guarantee that cancer survivors will no longer 
live in fear of losing that health insurance just because they have a 
preexisting condition.
    Today I announced that this Friday, November 1st, the National 
Cancer Institute will open its new Office of Cancer Survivorship. The 
office will support much needed research that will help cancer survivors 
deal with the problems they face even after their cancer is cured. Dr. 
Anna Meadows will be the Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship, 
and I thank her for her willingness to do this ground-breaking service 
on behalf of people with cancer who have survived it all across America.
    These steps help us to put science at the service of our families 
and say we will do whatever it takes to continue the fight until there 
is a cure for cancer. And we will do everything we can to improve the 
lives of those who do survive.
    Just a few moments ago I signed a piece of the Ribbon of Hope. This 
yellow ribbon, which is already over 750 feet long in its entirety, has 
been signed by more than 10,000 cancer survivors around the world. The 
First Lady was the first person to sign the ribbon, and I was honored to 
place my own signature alongside that of so many courageous people. The 
ribbon is a symbol of the hope that sustains people in their struggle 
with cancer. It is also a symbol of the progress we have made and the 
progress still to come in our common fight.
    And now I'd like to present that piece of the Ribbon of Hope that I 
signed to Erin Schraibman, herself a cancer survivor, a very brave young 
girl whom I have very much enjoyed meeting today.
    Thank you, and God bless you all.

[At this point, the President presented the ribbon to Ms. Schraibman.]

    The President. We're adjourned.

Note: The President spoke at 1:20 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Jane Reese-Coulbourne, executive 
vice president, National Breast Cancer Coalition. The National Breast 
Cancer Awareness Month proclamation of October 3 is listed in Appendix D 
at the end of this volume.