The following is a statement from Kimberly Hughes, Mississippi government relations director at American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), on the state legislature’s failure to protect teens from the dangers of tanning beds:
“This is the third year in a row that we and many other health groups and individuals have asked Mississippi’s legislature to protect teens from the dangers of indoor tanning devices but they simply won’t budge. It is extremely disappointing to see how little they care for the health of Mississippi’s youth.
“Our legislators heard testimony from women who used tanning beds as teens, later developed melanoma, and barely escaped with their lives. They’ve had hundreds of face-to-face visits with advocates from across the state, including many dermatologists. Even Gayle Wicker, wife of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, joined the cause and talked to the legislators but nothing has worked.
“I can understand how a statistic—like how using an indoor tanning device before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 59 percent—might not resonate with everyone. But, it’s hard to imagine how someone can meet a melanoma survivor face-to-face, see their scars, hear their heartbreaking story, and witness their tears and remain unmoved to help others from traveling down that same path.
“We know indoor tanning devices cause cancer. This is a public health issue and Mississippi should prohibit the use of these devices for people under the age of 18.”
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
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