The New York state Senate and Assembly have passed breast density notification legislation, bill sponsor Sen. John Flanagan (R-2nd District) announced.
The bill would require that every mammography report given to a patient with dense breast tissue inform the women of this fact and encourage her to discuss the potential benefit of further screenings with her physician. Currently, Connecticut, Texas, and Virginia are the only states in the nation with breast density inform laws; 13 other states have introduced legislation that would establish such statutes, as has the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Flanagan's office.
Flanagan's efforts to pass the legislation began after he was contacted by JoAnn Pushkin, a breast cancer survivor and executive director of the Are You Dense Advocacy organization.
The legislation will now be sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
