[Federal Register: March 29, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 61)]
[Presidential Documents]               
[Page 17315-17318]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29mr01-158]                         


[[Page 17315]]

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Part V





The President





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Proclamation 7418--Cancer Control Month, 2001



Proclamation 7419--National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2001


                        Presidential Documents 




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Title 3--
The President

[[Page 17317]]

                Proclamation 7418 of March 28, 2001

 
                Cancer Control Month, 2001

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In 2001, an estimated 1.2 million new cases of cancer 
                will occur, and more than half a million individuals 
                will die from the disease. Standing alone, the figures 
                are discouraging. However, a recent decline in the 
                rates of new cases, as well as cancer-related deaths, 
                offers us hope. The 5-year survival rate has improved 
                for all cancers, and 8.9 million Americans are cancer 
                survivors.

                Thirty years of investment in the National Cancer 
                Program following the National Cancer Act of 1971 have 
                accelerated the pace of cancer research. The investment 
                in research has yielded great dividends in the areas of 
                cancer prevention, early detection, better treatments, 
                and improved quality of life for people with cancer. 
                These advances are remarkable, but much remains to be 
                done.

                Healthy behavior can greatly reduce the risk of cancer. 
                About 45 million Americans have already quit smoking, 
                but this most preventable cause of cancer continues to 
                damage public health. Tobacco use causes nearly all 
                cases of lung cancer and more than one-third of all 
                cancer deaths. Children can become addicted to tobacco 
                in a very short time, placing a serious responsibility 
                on adults to help young people stop smoking, or 
                ideally, never start.

                Other weapons remain formidable in the fight against 
                cancer. Since 1991, the 5 A Day for Better Health 
                program has spread the message that eating five or more 
                servings of fruits and vegetables daily can improve 
                health and prevent disease. Over the past 15 years, 
                increasing numbers of women have been screened for 
                breast cancer. Continued emphasis on screening for 
                cancer, including colon cancer, can play a vital role 
                in saving countless lives. Clinical trials of new drugs 
                may reveal which ones are most effective in treating 
                cancer. The Cancer Information Service, a free public 
                service of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the 
                National Institutes of Health, operates as a national 
                resource for information about cancer. Americans may 
                contact the organization at 1-800-4-CANCER or visit its 
                Internet address at http://www.cancer.gov.

                Cancer takes a terrible toll on our country. I 
                encourage all Americans to make healthy choices in 
                their personal behaviors. Together, we can help stop 
                cancer and improve the odds of survival for people of 
                all ages.

                In 1938, the Congress of the United States passed a 
                joint resolution (52 Stat. 148; 36 U.S.C. 103) 
                requesting the President to issue an annual 
                proclamation declaring April as ``Cancer Control 
                Month.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim April 2001 as Cancer Control 
                Month. By reaffirming the importance of controlling 
                cancer, concerned citizens, government agencies, 
                private industry, nonprofit organizations, and other 
                interested groups can work toward the day when this 
                devastating condition is finally eradicated.

[[Page 17318]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand one, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 01-8009
Filed 3-28-01; 11:40 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P