Senator Gillibrand Plans to Support Bill to Raise Early Awareness for Breast Cancer

Press Release

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that she planned to co-sponsor legislation to launch a national education campaign to target women under 40 about the risks of breast cancer. The campaign will help women across America know the risks of the disease and take the right preventative steps through routine self exams. Senator Gillibrand will join with her friend and colleague in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida, who announced this weekend that she is recovering from breast cancer, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, who are leading the effort.

"I am so proud to join my friends Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz and Senator Klobuchar in this effort," Senator Gillibrand said. "Debbie is an inspiration to all of us. Breast cancer claims the lives of too many of our mothers, daughters and sisters, but with the right investments and emphasis on prevention, we can arm women across America with the resources we need to combat this terrible disease."

Breast cancer is particularly aggressive and difficult to detect in younger women. While success rates among older women fighting breast cancer have been on the rise, rates have remained stable for women under 40 because they're often diagnosed at a later stage, giving the disease time to grow and advance.

That's why Senator Gillibrand is joining with her colleague and close friend Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz to raise awareness for younger women so they learn the early warning signs, engage in routine self exams, and catch breast cancer in earlier, more treatable stages.

Like Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz and Senator Klobuchar, Senator Gillibrand is a working mother with two young children at home. Together, they are teaming up to give more women across America a stronger chance in the fight against breast cancer.

Senator Gillibrand is committed to fixing America's broken health care system to ensure access to affordable, quality health care to ever New York family. Last month, she stood with President Obama to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, guaranteeing health care to 11 million low and middle-income children across America.

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