CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE October 31, 1997
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
H9842 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE October 31, 1997 makes a $25 donation does not get to woman from North Carolina [Mrs. wish to add their name to the list do? CLAYTON] is recognized for 5 minutes. should use the following address: http:/ Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, as you /breastcare.shn.com. b 1300 are aware, October is National Breast Mr. Speaker, we must be committed I think that is one of the problems. Cancer Awareness Month. Why is the to finding a cure for this cancer as well The other one is this issue of the 800- issue so important? It is important be- as many other devastating diseases. We pound gorilla. When I am a candidate cause breast cancer is the most com- all can help because cancer, indeed, and I announce for a race, I call my mon major cancer for women. Every 3 claims many of our loved ones. brother-in-law and he sends me $25, and minutes, a woman in the United States f I call the guy down the street and he is diagnosed with breast cancer. sends me $100. This devastating disease is the sec- TRIBUTE TO FORMER The outside money in these huge ond leading cause of death among can- CONGRESSMAN JOEL PRITCHARD amounts, $800,000, absolutely over- cer victims overall. Today there are The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a whelms the local fundraising. It dis- more than 2.6 million women living previous order of the House, the gen- torts the local politics. It makes the with breast cancer, women who strug- tleman from Washington [Mr. WHITE] is race one in which outside huge money gle daily against the ravages of this recognized for 5 minutes. powers control the race, and I think killing disease. Of those 2.6 million Mr. WHITE. Mr. Speaker, in recent that is wrong. American women, 71,000 of them are in weeks, the House has lost a man who We have a second example. Our dear North Carolina. Many of these afore- should be an example to all of us, and friend, Walter Capps, passed away just mentioned women are undiagnosed, do I just wanted to spend a few minutes a few days ago, and there is obviously not know they have the disease. today talking about him. going to be a special election. There is Fortunately, through research devel- Joel Pritchard, who served in this already discussion out there in Califor- opments, we have effective methods of House from 1972 to 1984, died earlier nia about who is going to be in the detection that are improving steadily. this month in Seattle. There was a me- race, and Walter's funeral has not even However, no technique, no matter how morial service here last night over in occurred yet. effective, can diagnose women who do the Cannon Office Building that many Yesterday's Roll Call newspaper has not have adequate access to health of us attended. There was a funeral a quote discussing that race from an care. service in Seattle several weeks ago. employee of the National Republican Each year on average 182,000 women Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I will Congressional Committee, and this is are diagnosed with breast cancer. Of never be able to match the observa- what he said. ``We will do whatever it that total, 16,000 are Afro-American tions that were made at those two pro- takes to win this seat. That means and over 4,900 of them are from North ceedings about what a wonderful per- spending whatever it takes, ground Carolina. son Joel was, but I would like to make troops, party money. This is the kind While the prognosis is good for many just a few observations of my own. of seat where we will go to war to win.'' women with breast cancer, it often First of all, I think that for those of Well, aside from perhaps commenting proves fatal for those women whose us in the House it would be good for us on the crassness of making such a cancer is not discovered until it is very to recognize that Joel was everything statement even before poor Walter has late in their lives. that we so often are not. Joel was al- had his funeral, listen to those terms. Mr. Speaker, the losses we have as a ways cheerful. He was always positive. ``Party money.'' Not ``local money,'' Nation suffered are staggering as a re- He never said an unkind word about ``party money.'' The $800,000 gorilla sult of this. Each year on average near- anybody. Nobody could remember one presents his head. It is wrong. ly 44,000 women succumb to breast can- in all of his long years here in the Mr. Speaker, this Congress needs cer; 44,000 mothers, sisters, daughters, House of Representatives. campaign finance reform. spouses, partners and friends. Mr. Joel was the sort of person who be- f Speaker, 5,200 of those women are, lieved that one could accomplish any- again, Afro-American women; 1,200 of The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. thing they wanted to accomplish if them are from my home State of North RIGGS). Under a previous order of the they did not care who got the credit. Carolina. And I think those are all things that House, the gentleman from Michigan Mr. Speaker, I cannot stress enough [Mr. SMITH] is recognized for 5 minutes. we can could stand to remember today. how critical it is to study this insid- Mr. Speaker, I would like to enter [Mr. SMITH of Michigan addressed ious disease further, for 80 percent of into the RECORD two things: First, a the House. His remarks will appear women diagnosed with breast cancer do column that appeared in the Seattle hereafter in the Extensions of Re- not fall into any known high-risk cat- papers just a week or two after Joel marks.] egory, so they do not know they have died by Adele Ferguson that makes the f it. comment at the end of the article that, The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a This is an issue for all of us, not just ``Joel Pritchard is an argument for previous order of the House, the gen- those with a family history of breast human cloning.'' tleman from Indiana [Mr. VISCLOSKY] is cancer. The incidence of breast cancer I think that is something that those recognized for 5 minutes. has been rising steadily since 1940, but of us who knew him would agree with. [Mr. VISCLOSKY addressed the none of the experts have been able to Include the following for the RECORD. ascertain why. We do not know how to House. His remarks will appear here- A MAN OF HIS WORD, JOEL PRITCHARD GAVE cure this disease or even how to pre- after in the Extensions of Remarks.] POLITICIANS A GOOD NAME vent it. Significant strides have been f (By Adele Ferguson) made in detection and treatment of The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a breast cancer, but we still have a long Few, in my nearly 40 years of covering the doings of politicians, had what I called HIGI, previous order of the House, the gen- ways to go. tleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. ENG- for honesty, intelligence, guts and integrity, The economic impact on the United and Joel Pritchard was one of them. LISH] is recognized for 5 minutes. States is incredible. Breast cancer If anybody remembers that classic tele- [Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania ad- costs the United States over $6 billion vision series about a congressman called dressed the House. His remarks will ap- annually in medical care and the loss ``Slattery's People,'' the former Seattle con- pear hereafter in the Extensions of Re- of productivity. gressman and lieutenant governor who died marks.] Mr. Speaker, two of my colleagues in of lymphoma at age 72, was Slattery. He was f Congress, the gentlewoman from Con- walking integrity. He was also fun. He used to come charging necticut [Ms. DELAURO] and the gentle- up out of his seat in the state House like a BREAST CANCER AWARENESS woman from California [Ms. ESHOO], MONTH seltzer fizz, and the foam just got all over ev- have begun an Internet petition drive erybody. Everybody liked him and everybody The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a calling for improved insurance cov- listened to him because he only talked when previous order of the House, the gentle- erage for breast cancer. Those who he had something to say. When Pritchard October 31, 1997 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE H9843 said something came ``slithering'' over from control. Another thing that he men- The reality, however, was that electoral the Senate, everybody else had to say it too, tioned was that highly effective legis- success was their only success. For one, after over and over again. lators refuse to take themselves too se- eight years in office, not a single amendment It was Pritchard who told me that when he riously. He also said that highly effec- or other piece of legislation offered by him shared a house with then-fellow Reps. Dan in committee or on the floor of Congress was Evans, Slade Gorton and Chuck Moriarty, tive legislators demonstrate their in- ever adopted, even though he was a member Evans was the only one who made his bed be- tegrity by admitting their imperfec- of the majority party. The other was a fore they left each morning. He shared with tions, and he has several other things confrontational, bombastic speaker whose me his disgust as fellow legislators who, dur- here that I think we could learn from instinct for controversy gave him high media ing the morning prayer, shuffled and read pa- here.