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Women of Labor Unite to Fight Cervical Cancer

January 8, 2009

The Coalition of Labor Union Women is helping spearhead an initiative this month to raise awareness of the No. 2 cause of cancer in women: cervical cancer.

Labor activists are encouraging women to schedule annual gynecological examinations and tell five friends about their pledge.

“With this campaign, we’re providing labor union women with information that allows them to make practical decisions in the prevention of disease – not only in their lives, but in the lives of their families, friends and co-workers,” said IBEW Human Services Director and CLUW Vice President Carolyn Williams.

The program is gaining steam with Congress declaring January as Cervical Health Awareness Month – and the timing is crucial. A recent Gynecological Cancer Foundation survey of more than 1,000 women aged 19 to 25 found that they had little understanding of the disease that kills more than 4,000 women a year, despite being highly treatable.

This campaign aims to secure 4,070 pledges – the same number of U.S. women who were projected to die of cervical cancer in 2009 – by Mother’s Day, May 9. All proceeds go to support U.S.-based cervical cancer prevention activities.

For more information on CLUW, click here.