[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 193 (Monday, October 6, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 52005-52006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26557]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 193 / Monday, October 6, 1997 /
Presidential Documents
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Title 3--
The President
[[Page 52005]]
Proclamation 7029 of October 1, 1997
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 1997
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Every year we dedicate the month of October to focus on
breast cancer and to reaffirm our national commitment
to eradicate it. But for thousands of American women
and their families and friends, breast cancer is a
devastating reality that casts a shadow over their
lives every day. In this decade alone, nearly half a
million women will die of breast cancer, and more than
1.5 million new cases of the disease will be diagnosed.
Our greatest weapon in the crusade against breast
cancer is knowledge; knowledge of its causes and
knowledge about prevention and treatment. My
Administration has established a National Action Plan
on Breast Cancer to unite organizations across the
country in a collaborative effort to find out more
about the disease and how best to respond to it.
The Department of Health and Human Services is taking
the lead in this national effort, through education and
research at the National Cancer Institute and the
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; through
nationwide screening and detection programs at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; through
certification of mammography facilities by the Food and
Drug Administration; through prevention services and
treatment by health benefit programs such as Medicare
and Medicaid; and through increased access to clinical
treatment trials for cancer patients who are
beneficiaries in Department of Defense and Department
of Veterans Affairs programs. The Department of Defense
has also initiated a breast cancer research program to
reduce the incidence of breast cancer, increase
survival rates, and improve the quality of life for
women diagnosed with the disease.
We can be proud of the progress we have made. One of
the most promising recent research achievements is our
increased understanding of the role of genetics in the
cancer process. We have learned that cancer is a
disease of altered genes and altered gene function, and
research into the relationship between breast cancer
and genes is helping us to better understand the basis
of the disease. However, we must ensure that progress
in genetic information is used only to advance and to
improve the Nation's health--not as a basis for
discrimination. That is why this year I have urged the
Congress to pass a law that prevents health insurance
plans from discriminating against individuals on the
basis of genetic information.
High-quality mammography has also proved to be a
powerfully effective tool in the effort to detect
breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage.
The National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer
Society, and many other professional organizations
agree that women in their forties benefit from
mammography screening, and earlier this year I was
pleased to sign legislation that will help Medicare
beneficiaries with cost-sharing for annual screening
mammograms. The First Lady has also launched an annual
campaign to encourage older women to use the Medicare
mammography screening benefits.
[[Page 52006]]
We have real cause for celebration during National
Breast Cancer Awareness Month this year: recent data
show that the breast cancer rate for American women is
declining. Heartened by this knowledge, let us reaffirm
our commitment to the crusade against breast cancer.
Let us ensure that all women know about the dangers of
breast cancer, are informed about the lifesaving
potential of early detection, receive recommended
screening services, and have access to health care
services and information. Let us continue to move
research forward to improve treatments and find a cure
for this disease. Working together, we can look forward
to the day when our mothers, wives, daughters, sisters,
and friends can live long, healthy lives, free from the
specter of breast cancer.
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 1997 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 reflect on the progress
we have made in advancing our knowledge about breast
cancer and to publicly reaffirm our national commitment
to controlling and curing this disease.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-second.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 97-26557
Filed 10-3-97; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P
