[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 13 (Monday, April 2, 2001)]
[Pages 534-535]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7418--Cancer Control Month, 2001

 March 28, 2001

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    In 2001, an estimated 1.2 million new cases of cancer will occur, 
and more than half a million individuals will die from the disease. 
Standing alone, the figures are discouraging. However, a recent decline 
in the rates of new cases, as well as cancer-related deaths, offers us 
hope. The 5-year survival rate has improved for all cancers, and 8.9 
million Americans are cancer survivors.
    Thirty years of investment in the National Cancer Program following 
the National Cancer Act of 1971 have accelerated the pace of cancer 
research. The investment in research has yielded great dividends in the 
areas of cancer prevention, early detection, better treatments, and 
improved quality of life for people with cancer. These advances are 
remarkable, but much remains to be done.
    Healthy behavior can greatly reduce the risk of cancer. About 45 
million Americans have already quit smoking, but this most

[[Page 535]]

preventable cause of cancer continues to damage public health. Tobacco 
use causes nearly all cases of lung cancer and more than one-third of 
all cancer deaths. Children can become addicted to tobacco in a very 
short time, placing a serious responsibility on adults to help young 
people stop smoking, or ideally, never start.
    Other weapons remain formidable in the fight against cancer. Since 
1991, the 5 A Day for Better Health program has spread the message that 
eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily can improve 
health and prevent disease. Over the past 15 years, increasing numbers 
of women have been screened for breast cancer. Continued emphasis on 
screening for cancer, including colon cancer, can play a vital role in 
saving countless lives. Clinical trials of new drugs may reveal which 
ones are most effective in treating cancer. The Cancer Information 
Service, a free public service of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) 
and the National Institutes of Health, operates as a national resource 
for information about cancer. Americans may contact the organization at 
1-800-4-CANCER or visit its Internet address at http://www.cancer.gov.
    Cancer takes a terrible toll on our country. I encourage all 
Americans to make healthy choices in their personal behaviors. Together, 
we can help stop cancer and improve the odds of survival for people of 
all ages.
    In 1938, the Congress of the United States passed a joint resolution 
(52 Stat. 148; 36 U.S.C. 103) requesting the President to issue an 
annual proclamation declaring April as ``Cancer Control Month.''
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, 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 April 2001 as Cancer 
Control Month. By reaffirming the importance of controlling cancer, 
concerned citizens, government agencies, private industry, nonprofit 
organizations, and other interested groups can work toward the day when 
this devastating condition is finally eradicated.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth 
day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
fifth.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:40 a.m., March 28, 
2001]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on March 
29.