WASHINGTON, D.C. June 3, 2013 Cancer patients and survivors nationwide are mourning the loss of Sen. Frank Lautenberg today. In his nearly 30 years in the U.S. Senate, he was an unyielding advocate for policies to protect our children from the deadly addiction of tobacco. He will be remembered for his tireless work to pass lifesaving legislation making all domestic airline travel smoke-free, giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the manufacture of tobacco products and, most recently, a bill to nearly double the federal tobacco tax.
Sen. Lautenberg was a true champion in the fight against cancer. A member of the Congressional Cancer Caucus, Sen. Lautenberg was a consistent supporter of legislation to make necessary breast and cervical cancer screenings available to all women who need them, and legislation to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to cancer clinical trials.
Sen. Lautenberg, who faced his own battle with stomach cancer in 2010, was the recipient of the American Cancer Society 's 2000 Public Policy Leadership Award for being a leading voice in the fight against cancer. His legacy as a cancer advocate and a leader in the field of tobacco control is celebrated and remembered by cancer patients and survivors everywhere today.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Lauren Walens or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5763 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
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