''Johanna's Law'', also known as the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act, () is a US bill that promotes the education of women to increase awareness of

gynecologic cancer Gynecologic cancer is a type of cancer that affects the female reproductive system, including ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, vaginal cancer, cervical cancer, and vulvar cancer. Gynecological cancers comprise 10-15% of women's cancers, mainly a ...

, which include ovarian, uterine/endometrial, cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers and the risk factors and symptoms. Often, these cancers are far advanced before detection. Increased awareness could lead to earlier detection and reduced morbidity, and could save lives. Senators

Arlen Specter Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965, then a Republican fr ...

and

Tom Harkin Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Pa ...

introduced the Bill in the Senate on June 6, 2005. Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

co-sponsored it. It passed both Houses of Congress unanimously and was signed into law on January 12, 2007, by

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. It was named after a school teacher, Johanna Silver Gordon, who died of ovarian cancer in 2000, aged 58.JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute Advance Access (ovarian cancer study). September 11, 2007
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References

External links

HR 1245: "Johanna's Law"FAQs
United States federal health legislation Acts of the 109th United States Congress {{US-fed-statute-stub