Tester Stands with Montana Women, Fights to End Breast Cancer

Senator Sponsors Legislation to Increase Research and Prevention Efforts

(Big Sandy, Mont.)- Senator Jon Tester is standing with Montana women to end breast cancer by sponsoring legislation to increase research into the devastating disease.

Tester sponsored the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act, which would help identify strategies and solutions for preventing and treating breast cancer.

“Too many Montana families have been devastated by breast cancer,” Tester said. “This legislation will attack the problem head on and empower leading scientists to come up with a strong plan to eradicate this heartbreaking disease.”

According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, approximately 730 Montana women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.

“Many thanks to Senator Tester for sponsoring the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act,” said Martha Thayer, a breast cancer survivor. “Because I found my cancer via self-exam shortly after having a mammogram that showed nothing abnormal, I am particularly interested in research that addresses ways to detect the 15-20 percent of cancers that are not detected by mammograms.”

“Our family is grateful to Senator Tester for cosponsoring the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act. We have family members affected by this disease and we believe this legislation, if passed and signed into law, could make a real and sustainable difference in terms of finding a way to prevent breast cancer in the first place, and prevent further deaths,” Bryant Ralston, Whitefish resident.

Tester’s bipartisan bill will establish a commission to identify strategies to prevent and treat breast cancer, with the goal of ending the disease by 2020. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in the United States.

Tester, a longtime advocate in the fight against breast cancer, previously sponsored legislation to improve access to breast cancer screenings. He also secured coverage for breast cancer screenings for military service members, retirees, and their families. He supports the free screenings made available by the Affordable Care Act.