Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 101 Part 3.djvu/806

 101 STAT. 2104

PROCLAMATION 5633—APR. 21, 1987

The Congress, by House Joint Resolution 119, has designated the week of April 19 through April 25, 1987, as "National Minority Cancer Awareness Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of April 19 through April 25, 1987, as National Minority Cancer Awareness Week. I call upon public officials at all levels; members of the medical and health professions; business, religious, and civic groups and leaders; and the communications media to join this special effort to help minority Americans take advantage of new knowledge to conquer cancer. I especially urge each American, young and old, to take a new look at this disease and help reduce the toll it takes on us all. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh. , •:- '. RONALD REAGAN

Proclamation 5633 of April 21, 1987

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Cancer Control Month, 1987 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation In the 50 years since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Cancer Institute Act, on August 5, 1937, our Nation has taken giant steps toward the conquest of cancer. Unparalleled growth in our understanding of the biology of cancer has changed what we can do to detect, diagnose, and treat this disease, and has made cancer prevention an attainable goal. These achievements should be a source of immense pride to scientists and to the American public, and should help us rededicate ourselves to the control of this disease. It is sobering to realize that strong, scientific evidence links many forms of cancer to the way we live, especially the foods we eat and the use of tobacco. We know, for example, that smoking causes 30 percent of all cancer deaths. Just as important, though, we know that quitting smoking, even after many years, can reduce the risk of cancer. For two years now, we have seen a decreasing incidence of lung cancer among white males, and it looks as if the rate for white females is moving in the same direction. This encouraging downward trend reflects gradual changes in smoking patterns over the past two decades. Unfortunately, however, black Americans are still experiencing high rates of smoking-related cancers. More needs to be done to educate groups with high incidence of cancer about the dangers of smoking. We also must do everything we can to urge our young people not to start smoking. The estimate that 35 percent of the cancer deaths in this country are related to diet means that dietary changes can make a big difference. Fortunately,

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