Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005
GYNECOLOGIC CANCER EDUCATION AND AWARENESS ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - November 14, 2006)
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Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 1245, the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005, or Johanna's Law. This bill takes several important steps forward in helping to educate women and their health care providers about the dangers and early warning signs of gynecologic cancers.
Ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers are grouped together as the major gynecologic cancers. And as members of the Energy and Commerce committee recently learned during consideration of the CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, gynecological cancer, specifically cervical cancer, was once the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. Over the past century, we have made great strides in reducing both the morbidity and the mortality associated with cervical cancer. We also have programs in place, like the CDC's Early Detection program, that provides free screening and referral services for women who cannot afford to pay for screenings themselves.
When experts have compared cervical cancer screening and survival rates of the United States to other industrialized countries, the United States ranks near the top. We do a good job of screening for cancer, and our treatment facilities are in fact the best in the world. With the recent discovery of a new vaccine approach to prevent the transmission of the HPV virus, I am hopeful that one day we will be able to eradicate most if not all cases of cervical cancer.
But, Mr. Speaker, there is much more work to be done on gynecological cancers. Too many women don't know enough about the disease to ask their doctors or go to regular screenings. Too many cases of gynecologic cancers go unidentified or untreated until it is too late. This is the underlying purpose for the legislation before us today. This bill takes the important step of creating a national public service campaign to educate women and their health care providers on gynecologic cancers. The campaign will help to raise awareness of the problem, the warning signs, and remind women to get screened regularly.
Within 6 months of enactment, the legislation will require the Department of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress on all education and outreach activities related to gynecologic cancers and other cancers. This information will give Congress and the executive branch the tools to identify what activities are ongoing and what is being done, what is working, and what could be done better.
At this time I would like to thank my colleagues, Mr. Issa, Ms. Granger, Mr. Burton, Mr. Levin, and Ms. DeLauro for their hard work on this important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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