[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 39 (Monday, October 4, 1999)]
[Pages 1870-1871]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7228--National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 1999

September 30, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Across America today, women are living challenging, fulfilling 
lives, skillfully balancing the responsibilities of work, family, and 
community, and making plans for a bright future. But for thousands of 
these women each year, the diagnosis of breast cancer shatters the 
pattern of everyday existence. For millions more, the fear of such a 
diagnosis casts a shadow across their lives. This year alone, an 
estimated 175,000 new cases will be diagnosed, and more than 43,000 
women will die from breast cancer.
    Despite these tragic statistics, we are beginning to see real 
progress in our national crusade against this disease. The breast cancer 
mortality rate in the United States has steadily declined over the past 
10 years, and currently 2 million American women are winning the battle 
against this cancer.
    Our steadfast commitment to breast cancer research is finally 
bearing fruit and has led the way to new preventative treatments. Last 
year, the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) landmark Breast Cancer 
Prevention Trial revealed that there were 49 percent fewer reported 
diagnoses among women who took tamoxifen. In another promising effort, 
researchers are looking at an alternate drug to see if we can achieve 
the same results but with fewer side effects.
    Researchers are also conducting studies to determine if other 
medications can provide an effective weapon in our war against breast 
cancer. The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the use 
of a new drug that has proved to be effective in the treatment of 
patients already in the advanced stages of this disease. Studies 
indicate that the drug may benefit 25 to 30 percent of women with 
advanced breast cancer. Encouraged by these findings, the NCI has 
rapidly expanded its study to include earlier stages of breast cancer 
and the treatment of other cancers, such as ovarian cancer.
    We have also made promising strides in promoting the early detection 
of breast cancer, which is critical to prolonging patients' lives. A 
recent survey conducted by the NCI and the Health Care Financing 
Administration (HCFA) showed that 88 percent of women 65 years of age 
and older had undergone at least one mammogram during their lifetime--a 
25 percent increase from 1992. Of the women who had a mammogram, 80 
percent received their most recent test within the past 2 years, and 
more than 75 percent knew of Medicare's mammography coverage. The NCI 
and HCFA hope to build on this progress through their joint campaign to 
raise women's awareness of the importance of regularly scheduled 
mammograms and the

[[Page 1871]]

availability of Medicare mammography benefits.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also played 
a vital role in combating breast cancer by providing access to 
screenings for medically underserved women. Authorized by the Breast and 
Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990, the CDC's early 
detection program provides breast and cervical cancer screening services 
for women who might otherwise not receive them, such as older women, 
women with lower incomes, and women of color. This program has provided 
nearly 1 million mammograms, resulting in the diagnosis of more than 
5,800 breast cancer cases.
    Having lost my own mother to this devastating disease, I know all 
too well the pain and hardship that breast cancer inflicts on women and 
their families. I urge all Americans to join me in the crusade to 
prevent, treat, and ultimately eradicate breast cancer. By building on 
the breakthroughs we have achieved in research, prevention, and 
treatment and by promoting continued education and awareness, we can 
ensure that millions of women can look forward to longer lives and a 
brighter future.
    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 
1999 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 
publicly reaffirm our Nation's strong and continuing commitment to 
controlling and curing breast cancer.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day 
of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 4, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
5.