Washington-- Senator Bayh today encouraged all women over age 40 to participate in National Mammography Day tomorrow by scheduling their annual mammogram. To mark the day, Senator Bayh will wear a pink tie as part of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s “Pink Ties for Guys” campaign to increase awareness of the impact of breast cancer.

After years of increasing numbers of American women having mammograms, according to the American Cancer Society, recent data suggest a decline in the percentage of women who are having the regular breast cancer screening. Mammograms are considered vital to the early detection of breast cancer in women and are credited with a 2 percent drop in fatalities from breast cancer every year since 1990.

“A mammogram is a vital, life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer,” said Senator Bayh. “Study after study shows that the earlier breast cancer is detected and treated, the greater the chance is for survival. Virtually ever Hoosier knows some one afflicted with this horrible disease, and we most do all that we can to combat it at every turn.”

In September, Senator Bayh successfully called for nearly $250 million in cancer research funding, including $150 million for breast cancer. The funding was included in the Department of Defense Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008, for the DoD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, which support research grants that fill gaps in ongoing research and compliment initiatives sponsored by other agencies.

Senator Bayh also supported the Breast Cancer Research Stamp, which has raised more than $50 million to help find a cure, and has worked to make cancer treatments available to more women. As Governor of Indiana, he signed legislation that required health insurance programs to include coverage for mammography services.

Beginning in 1974, Senator Bayh’s mother, Marvella, served as one of the first national spokespersons for the American Cancer Society following her diagnosis of breast cancer, becoming one of the first women to speak publicly about her condition. Since 1979, the Marvella Bayh Memorial Scholarship has provided more than $130,000 in scholarships to first-year, female medical students interested in cancer research.

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