The 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness gold, silver and CuNi Clad coins were not the result of the first commemorative coin proposal in honor of cancer victims. Two decades before, in July 1998, during the 105th Congress, John D. Fox (R-PA) introduced a bill that called for "coins in commemoration of Laurie Beechman and her battle against ovarian cancer."
Laurie Beechman - Circa 1984
(Image Credit: Publicity Photo. Public Domain.)Laurie Hope Beechman was an American-born actress, singer and cabaret performer. She was born on April 4, 1953 and died from ovarian cancer on March 8, 1998 - just a month shy of her 45th birthday. She appeared in multiple Broadway musicals, including
Annie,
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Misérables and
Cats. She also released several solo albums as a singer.
Fox's bill called for up to 350,000 silver dollars for the benefit of Gilda's Club, Incorporated "for purposes relating to the battle against ovarian cancer." The issue price of the silver dollar was to include a $9 surcharge intended for the organization.
(Gilda's Club was/is a support group for those with cancer, along with their families and friends. It was founded in 1995 and named in honor of Gilda Radner who had died from ovarian cancer in 1989. In 2009, Gilda's Club merged with The Wellness Community to form the Cancer Support Community.)
The coin bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services, which referred it to its Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy. The bill was not reported out of committee, however, and so was never considered by the full House or Senate.
On a related note: The coin was just one of the ovarian cancer-related initiatives proposed/supported by Representative Fox at the time. He was a co-sponsor on a bill that would have amended the Public Health Service Act to include $90 million for ovarian cancer research in fiscal year 1998 (plus TBD funds in 1999 and 2000). He was also the driver behind the Ovarian Cancer Information and Education Act of 1998; Fox referred to his education bill as the Laurie Beechman Memorial Act. The bill was to provide an additional $10 million (i.e., beyond other appropriations) annually to the National Cancer Institute for fiscal years 1999 through 2003 "to provide to the public information and education on ovarian cancer." It was referred to committee, but did not progress any further.
On July 16, 1998, Fox rose in the House and stated:
"I rise tonight to discuss important legislation which I filed this week which really makes a difference in the lives of women across the country. I speak of the Laurie Beechman Memorial Act. Together with legislation I have worked on with the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Patsy Mink), our legislation is a brave, new, ambitious attempt to eradicate ovarian cancer in our lifetime.
Together with the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) and others, we have introduced legislation to increase by $90 million per year money for a cure for ovarian cancer.
Up until this point, Mr. Speaker, ovarian cancer is not detected in any early stages, and of course, therefore, it makes it more difficult for us to keep the patient alive and to have a cure.
The Laurie Beechman Memorial Act will have two facets, in addition to the research. It will have an Information and Education Act, which will increase funding for educational and outreach programs, including those which provide information to both the person with the illness as well as their family, and will provide $10 million annually from 1999 through 2003 for the purpose of this outreach program."
He continued:
"Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women. It is treatable when detected early, but the vast majority of cases, as I said, are not diagnosed until it is too late. Raising public awareness of ovarian cancer by educating doctors and women about the disease can save lives and will save lives. More ovarian cancer research is needed to develop reliable diagnostics, better therapies, and to learn how to prevent the disease."
Thus, the commemorative silver dollar would have been one element of a larger effort to improve the odds of survival for women with ovarian cancer; it could have been a coin that truly supported the public good. Too bad it couldn't gain traction in Congress.
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What if? stories for US commemorative coins, classic era and modern, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 08/19/2023 11:32 pm
