UJC/Jewish Federations of North America are taking a lead role in advocating for passage of a bill that would educate young women about breast cancer and the increased risk of breast cancer among women with particular ethnic backgrounds and genetic markers.

The effort is being led by UJC’s Washington office, along with UJC’s  National Young Leadership and National Women's Philanthropy.

The Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or EARLY Act, was introduced by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who urged participants to support the legislation during a Federation teleconference this week led by representatives of National Women’s Philanthropy and National Young Leadership.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who sponsored the EARLY Act in the Senate, also spoke at the teleconference.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz described her own experience a year ago with breast cancer, which was successfully treated after early detection. At the time, she learned she carried one of the BRCA gene mutations that put women at much higher risk for breast or ovarian cancer.

Jewish women of Ashkenazi descent are more likely than others to have a mutation for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, making them three to seven times more likely to develop breast cancer.

“There is too little awareness of the risk right now, so we must raise awareness and educate Ashkenazi Jewish women about genetic counseling,” Rep. Wasserman Schultz said. “I found my tumor early because of knowledge and awareness. We need to ensure that every young woman in America can rely on more than just luck."

The EARLY Act would create a major breast cancer education campaign targeted to all young women, and including specific information about the higher risk for certain groups, such as Ashkenazi Jewish and African American women. It would also educate medical professionals on the issue and offer resources for young women who learn they have breast cancer.

UJC’s Washington office is advocating that members of Congress support the bill, which already has 360 co-sponsors in the House, including all Democratic and Republican House leaders, and 14 co-sponsors in the Senate. UJC Washington has also created an online petition in support of the bill.

"Rarely does a bill come along where there is no question that we should put the weight of the Jewish federation system behind it and do all we can to encourage its enactment. The EARLY Act is one of those bills,” said William Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of UJC’s Washington Office.

“Jewish women are three to seven times more likely to develop breast cancer, so the more information we can provide to help educate them on the early indicators of breast cancer the better.  We are proud that UJC, our National Women's Philanthropy and National Young Leadership are standing with Rep. Wasserman Schultz and Senator Klobuchar on this critical issue that can help save lives. Please sign our petition."

NYL and NWP are publicizing the bill among Federation communities and encouraging people both to sign the petition and add their Federations’ names to an organizational letter supporting the legislation. Federations interested in signing the letter can contact Amy Aarons Rosen in the UJC Washington office.

Federation leaders are also encouraged to ask their friends and family to sign the online petition. The legislation’s sponsors hope to send a bill to the president by the end of the year.