According to Breastcancer.org, one in eight women living in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their life. This year, 276,480 new cases are expected with more than 40,000 succumbing to the disease. Congress designated October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month to inspire continued progress in the fight against the disease and to influence women to get tested for early detection and more positive outcomes.
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter was attuned to these issues and fought hard to allocate resources for sufficient aid for education, research, prevention, screenings, treatment, and a cure. In 1989, she was named the National Spokesperson of the PMI/Strang Clinic’s National High Risk Registry. At the time, the clinic was a pioneer institution in the early detection of cancer. In a press release, Dr. Daniel G. Miller, who served as president of the clinic said, “[Slaughter’s] leadership in this nation, and in particular her commitment to improving the health care and well-being of all Americans—especially women—make her an appropriate and effective advocate for the importance of breast cancer prevention.”
Slaughter’s advocacy for women's health inspired many experts, politicians, and activists to take action and transform policy. In her 1990 campaign that urged all mothers to get a mammogram, she said, “Beginning with a single family, we can start passing along the gift of life to women everywhere.”
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