Assemblywoman Jean-Pierre (D-Babylon) announced that she has introduced legislation to help combat breast cancer by promoting early detection and intervention (A.6731-A).

“Far too many women battle breast cancer each and every day, courageously doing everything they can to beat it,” Jean-Pierre said. “This legislation is absolutely vital to ensure that more women have the ability to get diagnosed sooner and doctors can safely treat this disease, because early detection does save lives.”

Jean-Pierre introduced “Shannon’s Law,” a bill that would require insurance companies to cover annual mammogram screenings for women starting at the age of 35. The legislation is named in honor of Shannon Saturno, a Babylon teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant and later passed away in 2016 at the age of 31. Current law mandates that providers cover breast cancer screenings for women above the age of 40, but research has found that 1 in every 227 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer between the ages of 30 and 40.1 This research shows that further action is necessary to lower the age that mammograms are covered by insurance companies.

Additionally, Jean-Pierre introduced a resolution that was recently adopted by the Assembly declaring July 6, 2017, as “Got Checked Day” in the town of Babylon (K.251). The campaign is sponsored by First Company Pink to educate and inspire young women on breast health and the risks of breast cancer and coincides with an array of workshops and seminars being held in school districts throughout Suffolk County.

“In light of the passing of our dear friend Shannon Saturno at the young age of 31, as well as the numerous young women affected by breast cancer today, we must reconsider our mammogram age recommendations,” said Linda Bonanno, Creative Director at First Company Pink. “Too many young women are completely overlooked by current mammogram standards. Mammograms save lives and, as we’ve seen with the number of women who battle breast cancer before turning 40, we must allow young women to have access to these lifesaving screenings!”

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