    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [April 20, 2007]
    [Pages 444-445]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early
    Detection Program Reauthorization Act
    April 20, 2007

        The President. Good morning. Thanks. Be seated. Welcome to the
    Roosevelt Room. This morning I have the honor of signing a bill that
    will help continue our Nation's fight against breast and cervical
    cancer. This bill reauthorizes the National Breast and Cervical Cancer
    Early Detection Program. I want to thank the Congress for passing this
    bill. I appreciate you all coming down to witness the signing of this
    important piece of legislation.
        Our family, like many families, has been touched by this issue.
    Laura's mom, my mother-
    in-law, Jenna Welch, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 78.
    She is a fortunate person--she had surgery, and 9 years later, she is a
    cancer survivor, and we are thankful for that.
        As a result of her mom's battle with cancer,
    Laura has devoted a lot of time and energy to
    raising awareness about breast cancer through efforts like the pink
    ribbon campaign. She managed to get me to wear pink. [Laughter] I
    appreciate Laura's good work. And I thank your good work as well, and
    thank you for joining us.
        I want to thank Mike Leavitt, the
    Secretary of Health and Human Services. I appreciate Senator Barbara
    Mikulski from Maryland, who is a pioneer
    in a bill such as this. And, Senator, you're a--when you get on an
    issue, you can get--[laughter]--you get things done, and we appreciate
    your leadership.
        Senator Barbara A. Mikulski. Thank
    you, Mr. President.
        The President. I thank Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, who is a bill sponsor, as well as Congresswoman Sue
    Myrick. Sue is a cancer survivor. And we
    appreciate both of your leadership on this issue. I thank members from
    my administration for joining us; good to see you all.
        Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths
    for American women. This year, an estimated 180,000 Americans will be
    diagnosed with breast cancer; 11,000 will be diagnosed with cervical
    cancer. Together, these two cancers are expected to claim the lives of
    more than 44,000 Americans in 2007.
        Early detection allows early intervention and is the best way to
    increase the chance for survival. Mammograms and pap tests and other
    screening services can help doctors diagnose cancer before it has a
    chance to spread. When breast cancer or cervical cancer is caught early,
    the survival rate is more than 90 percent. Early detection makes
    treatment more effective: It gives hope to patients, and it saves lives.
        The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program has
    helped millions of low-income and uninsured women get screened for
    cancer. This is an effective

    [[Page 445]]

    program. Since its creation, the program has conducted nearly 7 million
    cancer screenings; it's diagnosed thousands of cases of breast and
    cervical cancer; and it's helped educate women about the importance of
    early detection. We expect that in 2007, this program will provide more
    than 700,000 screenings for low-income and uninsured women. The program
    is an important part of this Nation's fight against cancer, and the bill
    I'm about to sign will continue to lifesaving work.
        I appreciate working with the United States Congress to fund breast
    and cervical cancer research and prevention. The span of my
    administration, we have spent, along with Congress, $6.7 billion. My
    budget for 2008 includes another billion dollars for research and
    prevention activities. We'll continue to work to ensure that every
    American woman has access to the screenings she needs to detect the
    cancers in time to treat them.
        Again, I want to thank the Members of Congress for their hard work
    and their dedication in passing this important piece of legislation. I
    appreciate you all joining us to witness the bill signing ceremony. And
    it's now my honor to sign the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early
    Detection Program Reauthorization Act. [Laughter]

    [At this point, the President signed the bill.]

        The First Lady. Thank you all.
        The President.  Thank you all for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:32 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. H.R. 1132, approved April 20, was assigned Public Law No.
    110-18. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.