Ohio breast density reporting bill becomes law
Gov. John Kasich of Ohio has signed his state’s breast density reporting bill into law, making Ohio the 20th state to successfully enact such legislation.
Under the new law, mammography facilities in the state must include the following statement in the written report given to patients should it be determined they have dense breast tissue:
"Your mammogram demonstrates that you have dense breast tissue, which could hide abnormalities. Dense breast tissue, in and of itself, is a relatively common condition. Therefore, this information is not provided to cause undue concern; rather, it is to raise your awareness and promote discussion with your health care provider regarding the presence of dense breast tissue in addition to other risk factors."
The bill was brought by Ohio Senators John Eklund (R) and Eric Kearney (D) on behalf of Anne Gates, an Ohio resident whose sister Christine died from breast cancer after receiving normal mammogram reports.
The number of states with breast density notification laws might not stay put at 20 for long; a bill in Michigan has been passed by the state legislature and sent to the governor to be signed, according to Are You Dense Advocacy.
Evan joined TriMed in 2011, writing primarily for Health Imaging. Prior to diving into medical journalism, Evan worked for the Nine Network of Public Media in St. Louis. He also has worked in public relations and education. Evan studied journalism at the University of Missouri, with an emphasis on broadcast media.