house resolution no.173

Reps. Crawford, Allor, Bollin, Brixie, Calley, Cherry, Chirkun, Clemente, Crawford, Garrett, Garza, Hall, Hertel, Hoadley, Hood, Cynthia Johnson, Kahle, Koleszar, Kuppa, Lasinski, Rendon, Sabo, Shannon, Sowerby, Warren, Wittenberg, Witwer and Yaroch offered the following resolution:

A resolution to declare October 2019 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the state of Michigan.

Whereas, October has long been recognized across America as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in an effort to raise public awareness about the importance of early detection; and

Whereas, In 2019, it is estimated that among U.S. women, there will be 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 62,930 new cases of in situ breast cancer along with over 40,000 breast cancer deaths; and

Whereas, In 2019, there are more than 3.1 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment; and

Whereas, According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Michigan women and the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Michigan women; and

Whereas, One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime; and

Whereas, Everyone is at risk for breast cancer but the two most important risk factors are being female and getting older; and

Whereas, The five year survival rate among women whose breast cancer has not spread beyond the breast at the time of diagnosis is close to 100 percent; and

Whereas, The use of mammography in the U.S. has been credited with doubling the detection of early stage breast cancer and breast cancer death rates have steadily declined since the 1990’s; and

Whereas, Efforts to promote increased mammogram screening have resulted in the third Friday in October being declared National Mammography Day; and

Whereas, Even with impressive progress, many women do not utilize mammograms or other recommended testing methods at regular intervals before physical symptoms can be seen or felt. Breast cancer deaths could decline further if all women age 40 and older received recommended screenings at regular intervals; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare October 2019 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the state of Michigan. We urge all Michiganders to use this month as an opportunity to educate themselves about breast cancer and take proactive steps to reduce their risks and get appropriate screenings.