National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2000

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Part V

The President

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Proclamation 7346--National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2000

Proclamation 7347--National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 2000

Proclamation 7348--National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2000

Proclamation 7349--Child Health Day, 2000

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7346 of September 29, 2000

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2000

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As we once again observe National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month, we can be heartened by the progress we
have made in the battle against breast cancer. Today we
have a better under standing of what causes the
disease, and advances in research are leading to
improvements in detection and diagnosis and to
treatments that are improving patients' quality of life
and chances of survival.

Two million Americans today are breast cancer
survivors, thanks in large part to earlier detection
and more effective treatments. Statistics from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show
that nearly 70 percent of women aged 50 and older have
had a mammogram in the past 2 years, compared with only
27 percent in 1987. While these increases were found
among women at all income levels, those with lower
incomes are still less likely to be screened than those
at higher income levels. The National Cancer Institute
(NCI) and the Health Care Financing Administration are
working together to inform women aged 65 and older that
Medicare coverage is available for mammography
screenings; and the CDC's National Breast and Cervical
Cancer Early Detection provides free or low-cost
mammograms to uninsured, low-income, and elderly women.
And, to assist the thousands of low-income uninsured
women whose breast cancer was detected through
federally funded screening programs, my proposed budget
for fiscal 2001 includes a new Medicaid option to fund
the lifesaving follow-up treatment they need to
increase their chances of survival.

Research is one of our most powerful tools in our
effort to eradicate breast cancer, and I am proud that
my Administration has made historic increases in
funding for biomedical research. A number of Federal
agencies and programs are adding to our knowledge about
the disease. The National Toxicology Program (NTP),
which is part of the National Institute of
Environmental Health Services, is studying chemical
compounds that may cause cancer in humans. Based on
data from the NTP, agencies such as the Environmental
Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration
are working to reduce human exposure to environ mental
agents that might increase the risk for breast and
other cancers. The NCI, through the Long Island Breast
Cancer Study Project and the Triana Community Health
Initiative, is exploring the possible relationship
between different sources of pollution and the
incidence of breast cancer. Findings from these studies
will help researchers and health care providers
identify women who are at higher risk for breast cancer
and develop better strategies for preventing the
disease.

The NCI's landmark Breast Cancer Prevention Trial
(BCPT) focused on tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen
medication that helps reduce the chance that women who
are at higher risk for breast cancer will develop the
disease. Building on the success of the BCPT, a current
study of tamoxifen and raloxifene will determine
whether raloxifene is as effective as tamoxifen, with
fewer side effects. The NCI is also sponsoring clinical
trials of sentinel node biopsy, a procedure where the
surgical removal of a small number of lymph nodes can
determine whether cancer has spread outside of the
breast.

The American people have also played a role in funding
research through activities such as the purchase of the
40-cent breast cancer awareness stamp from the U.S.
Postal Service. The sale of this stamp has raised
millions of dollars for breast cancer research, and, on
July 28 of this year, I was proud to sign legislation
authorizing the sale of this special stamp for an
additional 2 years.

We are gaining ground in our fight against breast
cancer, but we cannot become complacent. This year
alone, more than 40,000 Americans will die from the
disease, and an estimated 184,200 new cases will be
diagnosed. We must continue to raise awareness among
our friends, loved ones, and fellow citizens about the
importance of screening and early detection and the
need to support new research. By doing so, we will one
day triumph over this devastating disease and ensure a
brighter, healthier future for our children.

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 2000 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
twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.