The American Cancer Society Supports Passage of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act

American Cancer Society
Wednesday, 4 October 2000

Today the American Cancer Society congratulates the Senate for passage of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act. Gerald L. Woolam, MD, President of the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society, the nation's leading voluntary health organization, issued the following statement regarding passage of the bipartisan legislation known as the Breast and Cervical Treatment Cancer Act in the Senate.

"We applaud the Senate for its bipartisan commitment to this very important proposal, which the House passed earlier this year. Enactment of this proposal will help women focus their energies on fighting their disease, instead of worrying about how to pay for their treatment.

"This life-saving legislation will ensure necessary cancer care for low-income and medically underserved women diagnosed with cancer through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP).

"Much progress has been made in the fight against cancer. But we cannot hope to address the unequal burden of cancer that minority and medically undeserved women face without creative public health solutions like ones offered by the CDC screening program and the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act. The American Cancer Society looks forward to working with the Senate and House and the Administration to ensure prompt enactment of this important proposal."

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.

For more information, or to contact American Cancer Society, see their website at: www.cancer.org