[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 126, 112th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8855--AUG. 31, 2012

Proclamation 8855 of August 31, 2012

National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Prostate cancer is among the most common cancers for men living in the
United States, and despite the progress we have made in controlling it,
the disease continues to take a devastating toll on thousands of lives
every year. During National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we remember
those we have lost to prostate cancer, and we renew our commitment to
preventing, detecting, and treating this terrible illness.


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While the causes of prostate cancer are still unknown, men with certain
risk factors may be more likely to develop the disease. Most men who
suffer from prostate cancer are over the age of 65; those whose fathers,
brothers, or sons have had prostate cancer are also at greater risk.
Prostate cancer is especially prevalent among African American men, who
experience both the highest incidence and the highest mortality rates of
prostate cancer. I encourage all men to visit www.Cancer.gov to learn
the warning signs of this disease.
My Administration will continue to stand with men and their families in
the fight against prostate cancer. To ensure patients are covered when
they need it most, the Affordable Care Act prevents insurers from
placing lifetime or restrictive annual dollar limits on essential health
benefits--and from dropping coverage when people get sick. Beginning in
2014, the Act will also help Americans get the services they need by
prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating against people with
pre-existing conditions. And to advance the state of care for men with
prostate cancer, my Administration will continue to support promising
research that brings us closer to tomorrow's groundbreaking therapies,
treatments, and prevention techniques.
Too many men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetimes. As we
mark National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, let us support the
families who fight alongside them, pay tribute to the professionals who
pursue the highest standards of care, and rededicate ourselves to
improving outcomes for prostate cancer patients across our country.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2012 as
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage all citizens,
government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and
other groups to join in activities that will increase awareness and
prevention of prostate cancer.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA