Prepared Statement of Virginia Trotter Betts, JD, MSN, RN, President, American Nurses Association Endorsement of Clinton/Gore TicketJune 19, 1996Good morning distinguished guests and members of the press. I am joined here this morning by a representative from almost every state nurses association. A few have brought their teenage children with them this morning. During the last few days, we have been gathered together to celebrate the Centennial of the American Nurses Association. Today we are here to make a strong statement on behalf of the nation's registered professional nurses and the patients and families who they care for that we will continue our long history of patient advocacy. We will continue our work to secure a healthy future for all Americans. One issue that has been a great concern of nurses and ANA for some 30 years is the travesties caused by tobacco use. Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that kids continue to start to smoke at an alarming rate. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Smoking is responsible for one out of every five deaths in the U.S. Cigarettes kill more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs and fires combined. Each year there are approximately 390,000 deaths from cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, and cerebral vascular accidents -- all in part, a result of smoking. Passive smoking, or second-hand smoke, is now felt to be responsible for close to 4000 non smoker deaths each year from lung cancer. Parent and other household members' smoking is directly linked to chronic ear infections and respiratory problems in infant children. Despite the well-documented dangers of smoking, each day more than 3,000 young persons begin smoking - that's more than 1 million each year. The average age when young people begin to smoke is 14. To discourage tobacco use among young people, we must reduce access to these products and increase the availability of prevention education programs. President Clinton has shown his strong resolve to do that by working toward restricting cigarette advertising and by backing the Food and Drug Administration's plan to regulate tobacco products as drug delivery devices. While Republican presidential candidate Senator Bob Dole supports part of ANA's legislative agenda, his recent statements on this issue have clearly shown the wide chasm that exists between ANA's efforts to reduce teen smoking and his commitment to reaching that goal. While Senator Dole has stated that we need to prevent children from having access to tobacco products, he does not believe the FDA should be involved. I would submit to Senator Dole, and to the tobacco special-interest groups that oppose government involvement, what is currently being done to stop children from smoking is not working. As President Clinton so heartfeltly pointed out in his speech at this convention yesterday, while it already is illegal in every state to sell cigarettes to children, every year thousands of teens take up the habit. We need the involvement of the FDA to battle this addiction. We are dismayed that Senator Dole, who claims to be opposed to teen smoking, would take such an appallingly shortsighted view on the level of regulatory and legislative involvement needed to fight this scourge that threatens the very lives of our nation's children. Ideas without action on these important matters just won't work! Our commitment to this issue is so strong because, as nurses, we see firsthand the health consequences of tobacco use. Nurses also believe that prevention is the cornerstone of any health care system designed to reduce costs and human suffering. Nurses who work in school health programs provide a critical network of preventive health care services to our nation's youth. The scientific evidence is compelling, the choices clear -- and we stand here united in our resolve -- for our patients -- and for our children -- to support actions and candidates who will protect their future.... Therefore, I am so pleased to announce today the endorsement by the American Nurses Association of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, Jr., for president and vice president of the United States. In 1992, we gave our endorsement to the Clinton-Gore ticket because the hopes of that campaign for the American people mirrored the vision that nursing holds for this country. I'm delighted to share with you today that the synergy of ideas, commitment and action that ANA shares with the Clinton-Gore ticket has not changed, but has been strengthened by the past four years, a time in which we worked closely together to improve the nation's access to and quality of health care. President Clinton has actively sought the support of nursing for the past four years and has embraced many of the principles of Nursing's Agenda for Health Care Reform, the nursing profession's plan for health care released by ANA in 1991 and endorsed by more than 70 nursing and health care organizations. Together, ANA and President Clinton have tirelessly sought to solve the problem of teen pregnancy, fight violence in our streets and in our homes, increase funding for worker safety research and enforcement and achieve incremental reform of the health care system. Prevention must be addressed at multiple levels to be successful. President Clinton has repeatedly proven his understanding of this key concept and his support for nurses as essential providers in all health care settings. It is this understanding and commitment to preserve what is right and fix what is wrong with our health care delivery system that will help the country fight and win not only the battle against teen smoking, but the daily wars we as a nation, and more specifically, we as professional nurses, must wage to provide access to appropriate, high quality health care services to all people. That is why, not only do I offer the American Nurses Association's endorsement of the Clinton-Gore ticket, but also I offer the passionate grassroots support of thousands of nurses nationwide who are committed to political action that produces health-friendly public policy that makes a difference in our patients' lives. President Clinton and Vice-President Gore know that nurses make a difference in people's lives and together we will work to ensure that they lead our country into the next four years! For additional information contact the ANA Communications Department at 202-651-7020.
|
