Supporting National Men's Health Week

SUPPORTING NATIONAL MEN'S HEALTH WEEK -- (House of Representatives - July 07, 2009)

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 142, supporting National Men's Health Week. I would like to thank my colleague Representative Elijah Cummings from Maryland for introducing this important piece of legislation, as well as its many co-sponsors.

I stand in support of this legislation because it highlights the importance of increasing attention to personal health. Men in the United States are disproportionately affected by health issues. These issues are particularly acute within minority populations. In the state of Georgia, these disparities are especially evident. African-American men have a life expectancy of 64 years while Caucasian men have a life expectancy of 73, both of which are dwarfed by the nearly 79 years of life expected from Caucasian women. Georgia has a tragic death rate of 79.2 for African-American men with prostate cancer compared to 28.8 among Caucasian men.

These issues impact not only men's personal wellbeing but radiate throughout our families, our businesses, and our society. Indeed, health has an impact on America's economic well-being. Recent statistics indicate that more than half of the elderly widows now living in poverty were not poor before the death of their husbands.

Many of the issues affecting men's health are treatable and manageable if caught early, but women are 100 percent more likely than men to visit a doctor for annual exams and preventive services. There is a Spanish proverb that says, ``A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.'' Men throughout the United States owe it to their loved ones to take better care of their health. Increasing men's health will improve families' fullness and will help ensure healthy living at all levels: social, economic, and political. To quote President Obama, ``children who grow up without a father are five-times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and twenty times more likely to end up in prison ..... We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child--it's the courage to raise one.'' Part of that responsibility is caring for your health. Eat healthier, perform self-exams, visit your doctor, and get screened. We owe it to ourselves and our families. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this call for increased awareness and self-responsibility for men's health.

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