Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) and four of her colleagues introduced a bill that would continue funding breast cancer awareness.
The bill that would continue to be funded is the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act, which passed in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act.
When it passed, the law was meant to help women become more aware of breast cancer by increasing early detection and bringing awareness to risk factors.
The Early Act funds the Bring Your Brave campaign, which displays personal stories to raise awareness for breast cancer in women between the ages of 18 and 44. Additionally, the campaign advocates for women to know their risk and the signs and symptoms.
Another program that the EARLY Act funds is the Young Breast Cancer Survivors Program. This program gives grants to nonprofits that offer supportive services and resources to help improve patients’ survival and improve their quality of life. Also, the program offers continuing medical education for healthcare providers about breast cancer.
Harshbarger said she has seen the effects of “early education and prevention in the fight against breast cancer.”
“Too many women, especially those in high-risk and underserved communities, are still being diagnosed too late. The EARLY Act has proven effective in closing that gap by giving young women the tools and information they need to understand their risk, recognize early warning signs, and take action,” she said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in reauthorizing this life-saving program that can save women’s lives.”
In America, breast cancer is one of the most common cancer diagnoses for women. According to the National Cancer Institute, women who were born in the 1970s have a 10 percent chance of getting breast cancer. However, this percentage has increased in recent decades. For girls born between 2010 and 2016, the percentages have increased to around 12.5 percent.
According to the American Cancer Society, this year alone, almost 317,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 42,000 women will die from it.
Besides Harshbarger, this bill is being co-sponsored by Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01).
Wasserman Schultz introduced the original EARLY Act.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
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