[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 16 (Monday, April 23, 2007)]
[Pages 486-487]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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--[laughter]--you get things done, and we appreciate 
your leadership.
    Senator Barbara 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 hopes 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 program. Since its creation, the program 
has conducted nearly 7 million cancer

[[Page 487]]

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 life-saving 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.