I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3161 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for activities to increase 
the awareness and knowledge of health care providers and women with 
respect to ovarian and cervical cancer, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 12, 2011 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
activities to increase the awareness and knowledge of 
health care providers and women with respect to ovarian 
and cervical cancer, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ovarian and Cervical 
Cancer Awareness Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
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(1) Ovarian and cervical cancers are among the 
most destructive gynecological forms of cancer. 
(2) Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than 
any other cancer of the female reproductive system. 
(3) The main methods used to screen for ovar-
ian cancer are pelvic exams, ultrasounds, Pap 
smears, and blood tests such as cancer antigen-125 
(‘‘CA–125’’). 
(4) Most women who develop invasive cervical 
cancer have not had regular cervical cancer screen-
ing. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are the following: 
(1) Raising awareness about ovarian and cer-
vical cancers. 
(2) Raising awareness about the importance 
(especially for those women who have a family his-
tory of cancer or are otherwise at higher risk) of fre-
quent consultation with a physician and the possi-
bility of screening (through tests such as pelvic 
exams, ultrasounds, Pap smears, and blood tests 
such as cancer antigen-125) for ovarian, cervical, 
and other gynecologic cancer. 
(3) Promotion of early detection methods for 
ovarian and cervical cancer. 
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(4) Ensuring that special emphasis is given to 
ovarian and cervical cancer under the public aware-
ness campaign carried out by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services under section 317P(d) 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b– 
17(d); commonly referred to as ‘‘Johanna’s Law’’). 
SEC. 4. INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF OVARIAN AND 
CERVICAL CANCER. 
Section 317P(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247b–17(d); commonly referred to as ‘‘Johanna’s 
Law’’) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘with re-
spect to gynecologic cancers’’ and inserting ‘‘with re-
spect to ovarian, cervical, and other gynecologic can-
cers’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(D) 
LOW-INCOME
WOMEN.—Activities 
under the national campaign under subpara-
graph (A) shall include public service announce-
ments under subparagraph (C) targeted to low- 
income women.’’. 
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of the Congress that funding by the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of gynecologic 
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cancer education and awareness efforts should reflect the 
fact that ovarian and cervical cancers are the most deadly 
of the gynecologic cancers. 
Æ 
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