REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
                       BY
                       VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE
                       "FIGHTING CANCER FOR AMERICA'S
                       FAMILIES"

                       I'm grateful to be here today, in the presence of so many who
                       have helped to lead the fight against cancer. There is not a
                       single person here today who has not had to look in the face
                       of this unyielding disease, or support a loved one confronting
                       it. 

                       That's hardly surprising: forty percent of all Americans alive
                       today will struggle with cancer at some point in their lifetimes.
                       This year alone, more than 560,000 Americans -- more than
                       the number of Americans killed in all the wars of this century --
                       will lose that brave fight. 

                       And there is a toll these numbers do not even begin to
                       measure. The physical toll of chemotherapy or radiation
                       treatments. The emotional toll of seeing a friend or a loved
                       one battle for life and strength. 

                       Cancer has touched my own family, as it has touched almost
                       every family in America. You've got me with you: my
                       commitment to this fight is personal -- and absolute. 

                       Recently, we have learned a lot about our own power to fight
                       cancer; how much energy in the fight comes from a supportive
                       family and community, and a resolute spirit. 

                       We have learned that hope is a medicine -- and an effective
                       one at that. Today I offer you grounds for much more hope --
                       and, let us trust, more of the health that goes with it. 

                       Imagine with me for a moment, a new era: 

                       Imagine waking up and reading in the newspaper that new
                       treatments that could manage or even cure certain cancers
                       were being announced. 

                       Imagine waking up to a world where children start the school
                       year with new textbooks, a flu shot, and a routine childhood
                       leukemia immunization. 

                       Imagine the day when a simple blood test can detect every
                       kind of cancer -- early enough to treat it and save a life. 

                       Two weeks ago, I made a pledge to the American people to
                       fight back against the forces that threaten the American family
                       - from the loopholes that put guns in the hands of children and
                       criminals; to a popular culture that peddles violence and
                       mayhem; to the erosion of discipline in too many schools. 

                       Our families also need help conquering a killer that may be
                       more silent -- but is no less severe. That is why I make
                       another pledge to you today: to build stronger families, by
                       doubling our progress in the fight against cancer. 

                       That goal is within our grasp. New science and technology is
                       not only transforming the way we live and work - it is making
                       the difference between life and death. The Cancer Genome
                       Anatomy Project is now unraveling the genetics of cancer.
                       Amazingly, we are just a few years away from the complete
                       sequencing of all the genes in the human body, and our
                       scientists are on the verge of identifying the genes that cause
                       every type of cancer. That means we can do more than detect
                       cancer -- we can predict how it will develop, and we can
                       determine the best ways to stop it. We can finish mapping all
                       cancer genes so there are no secrets left in cancer's arsenal. 

                       Knowledge is power: information paves the way for a cure. And
                       if we harness the power of innovation, we can open a new door
                       of legitimate hope for those touched by cancer; we can reach
                       the day when cancer is not the dreaded scourge it has been --
                       but a manageable, even curable condition. To open that door
                       all the way we need a greater act of will. 

                       We have seen how to get results together: one of the very
                       first bills I was glad to co-sponsor, as a brand new member of
                       the House of Representatives, was a bill to help us better
                       understand the cancer risks in food additives. I am proud to
                       have worked to promote the genetic research that could give
                       us the tools to defeat every kind of cancer, and to have fought
                       for greater research into breast cancer, cervical cancer, and
                       ovarian cancer - and I have joined with those advocating
                       increases for prostate cancer, colon cancer, and basic research
                       into all cancers. Together we fought for tougher cigarette
                       labels, to warn about the single most preventable form of
                       cancer. And I am proud of all this for one simple reason:
                       together we have helped to heal or prolong precious lives. 

                       Working with President Clinton, we have been able to do even
                       more: reinventing our Food and Drug Administration, to bring
                       cancer drugs to patients faster. The largest increase in cancer
                       research at the NIH. The toughest measures in history to stop
                       our children from smoking. We are protecting our loved ones,
                       one life at a time. 

                       The war against cancer has been called America's longest war.
                       Because of all our work together, we now have our best chance
                       at a lasting peace. 

                       For the first time ever, for nearly a decade now, the number of
                       new cancer cases has been declining. A generation ago, only
                       one in three people treated for cancer would still be alive five
                       years later. Today, the five-year survival rate is 60 percent. 

                       That is surely cause for celebration -- and I applaud you. But
                       to all of us here, that is still 40 percent too low. 

                       No one can promise a cure for cancer; no one can promise what
                       has escaped decades of our best science and our hardest
                       efforts. 

                       But we can do better. We must set a national goal: to work
                       tirelessly toward a vision of a 21st Century America that is free
                       of cancer as the killer it is today. 

                       Today, I say to every family that is threatened by cancer:
                       through new research and innovation, through earlier detection
                       and better prevention, we will take the concrete steps that will
                       cut by 700,000, over the next decade, the number of people
                       diagnosed with cancer each year. 

                       That vision is not too much for the heroes and heroines in this
                       room to aim for. We can reach the day when we don't just race
                       for the cure, we cross the finish line. 

                       Today, I want to describe five steps to bring us closer to that
                       dream of health for our nation. 

                       We must start with a major new commitment to federal cancer
                       research. 

                       As General Schwarzkopf has said, speaking of his own
                       experience with cancer: when you're in a war, the first thing
                       you must do is learn about the enemy. 

                       And we are learning: new discoveries are giving birth to a
                       better breed of cancer-fighting drugs. These drugs are more
                       carefully targeted to attack cancer cells, and so are far less
                       toxic to our bodies. Through the NIH's strong partnership with
                       the private sector, there are over 350 such drugs being tested
                       this year - and they are now moving into clinical trials in half
                       the time it used to take -- ready to save our lives or our loved
                       ones' all the sooner. 

                       Let us not stop there: we can triple the number of
                       cancer-fighting drugs and therapies that reach cancer patients
                       over the next decade. 

                       We are making strides through our current federal research
                       budget. But at roughly $3 billion a year -- about three percent
                       of what we spend on cancer care in America -- we need to go
                       much further. 

                       I believe we should double federal cancer research over five
                       years -- which will double our current progress in preventing
                       cancer and saving lives. We believe that this aggressive
                       research effort will save as many as 200,000 lives in the year
                       2010 alone. It will also prevent as many as 700,000 cases of
                       cancer; that is roughly half the number of people diagnosed
                       with it today. 

                       Second, with this major new federal research commitment in
                       place, matched by a similar commitment to all biomedical
                       research, we must all challenge the scientific community to
                       speed its progress. 

                       As we unlock cancer's genetic code, I challenge our nation's
                       resourceful scientists and researchers to use that new
                       information to develop simple blood tests and new diagnostic
                       techniques for every major cancer over the next five years -- to
                       detect cancer earlier, better, and faster than any method we
                       have today. We all know -- many here personally -- that cancer
                       is best treated when it can be detected earlier. 

                       Americans should no longer have to live through what they
                       often do: months of uncertainty -- delaying testing and
                       treatment until it may be too late. Every day we save through
                       faster testing is a day saved for recovery and health. 

                       Of course, the best detection and treatment is worth little if
                       Americans do not have access to it. Too often, there is a broad
                       barrier made of red tape separating desperately ill people from
                       the latest advances that could help them. The third step is
                       increasing access to those advances. Of course, that means
                       increasing access to basic health insurance. But it means much
                       more. 

                       Today, most children with cancer are enrolled in clinical trials
                       -- and partly because of their access to the latest and best
                       treatments, their survival rates have risen dramatically. Four
                       decades ago, almost no children survived cancer. Now, 70 to
                       80 percent are cured. And with more children in clinical trials,
                       our progress in fighting child cancer has been much more
                       dramatic. 

                       We cannot cure cancer if only two percent of America's cancer
                       patients are enrolled in cutting-edge clinical trials. I want to
                       swing open the doors to the latest cancer clinical trials for
                       Americans of all ages, who don't have the luxury of time. I call
                       for funding to ensure a fivefold increase in the number of
                       cancer patients able to join in clinical trials through our
                       National Cancer Institute. 

                       America's seniors make up more than half of all cancer
                       patients. I will fight to expand Medicare, so more seniors can
                       take part in cancer clinical trials. 

                       And I believe every health plan in America should cover
                       essential clinical trials. Today, I ask Congress to make it the
                       law of the land. Let's be sure that every American who faces
                       cancer does so with the support behind them of the very best
                       treatment America has to offer. 

                       Fourth, let us act on the wisdom we already have.
                       Common-sense prevention works, and I will help to expand it. 

                       We need to start a major public education campaign, so every
                       American gets the prevention information he or she needs. We
                       need to reach out to the highest risk populations -- such as
                       African Americans, who are one-third more likely to die of
                       cancer than white Americans, and twice as likely to die of
                       prostate cancer. And Hispanic Americans, for whom breast
                       cancer has increased three times faster than for the majority
                       population, and who have twice the rate of cervical cancer. For
                       those without access to these tests, I will work to make
                       low-cost mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and other
                       proven screening methods available across this country. 

                       Common sense works; so does prevention through early
                       detection. Never again should any American have to tell a
                       loved one, "it could have been caught earlier -- if we had only
                       known." 

                       And so I will make sure that seniors on Medicare do not have
                       to pay a dime in extra co-payments or deductibles for
                       mammograms, prostate cancer screenings, and other early
                       detection tests. And I will work to ensure that every private
                       health plan provides basic coverage for these life-saving tests.

                       Of course, smoking is still the single largest preventable cause
                       of cancer in America. Among women, lung cancer is the leading
                       killer. 

                       We know that if our children don't start smoking by the time
                       they're 19, they're not likely to start at all. But once they
                       start, it's hard to stop: 70 percent of adult smokers say they
                       want to quit, but can't. 

                       That is why I will never stop fighting until we dramatically
                       reduce teen smoking in America. And I will treat underage
                       smoking like the urgent national health crisis it is. 

                       If tobacco companies keep marketing to our children, I believe
                       we should impose serious financial penalties - dedicated to our
                       nation's fight against cancer -- until they stop. 

                       I believe the FDA must maintain its full authority to keep
                       cigarettes away from children. That means curbing tobacco ads
                       that target our children - and taking strict measures to prevent
                       children from buying cigarettes. It is time to match big
                       tobacco's big advertising campaigns with a national,
                       counter-advertising campaign about the dangers of smoking
                       and the risks of cancer. 

                       I believe we must double our efforts to prevent smoking - to
                       help Americans stay free of cancer, and to find new ways to
                       break the deadly, cancer-causing grip of nicotine addiction. And
                       I challenge all states to do the same. 

                       Finally, as we move toward our future victories over cancer, let
                       us insist on fairness for those who have it today. No person
                       should be forced to risk his or her job or health care because
                       he or she is at risk for cancer. 

                       Studies have shown that many American women are afraid to
                       get tests for breast cancer because they think it could be used
                       against them. Genetic discrimination is wrong -- and it should
                       be illegal in the United States. I call on Congress to ban
                       genetic discrimination once and for all. 

                       At the same time, no cancer patients should avoid their doctor
                       because they're afraid of who will see their medical records.
                       We need a law that says to every doctor and health plan in
                       America: medical records must be kept private, or you will be
                       punished with the full force of our laws. 

                       And let's make sure that critical health decisions are made by
                       doctors, not by bean counters in a back room. If you're in the
                       middle of chemotherapy, you shouldn't be forced to stop
                       treatment because your employer changes health plans. It's
                       time to give cancer patients the quality care they need, when
                       they need it. Congress should pass the Patients' Bill of Rights
                       into law. 

                       These are my five proposals to bring us closer to a cancer-free
                       America. But let us realize that fulfilling our vision will take
                       something more than research, treatment, and prevention. 

                       Last year in Seattle, I met a woman named Camari Ferguson.
                       Camari works to fight prostate cancer as a researcher at the
                       University of Washington. She also fights a very personal
                       battle against cancer. Two years ago, a week before turning
                       33, she learned to her astonishment she had breast cancer.
                       She spent her birthday undergoing surgery. But she refused to
                       back down. 

                       Throughout the six months of her radiation and chemotherapy
                       treatments, Camari rode her bike to and from work -- 23 miles
                       each way - and during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she
                       asked her friends to donate money for every day she was able
                       to ride. She raised several thousand dollars for the Race for
                       the Cure. Camari gave something more than her skills as a
                       scientist, more than her strength as an athlete: she gave her
                       heart to the fight against cancer. 

                       Next week, Camari will have a small tumor biopsied. We hope
                       and pray that it is benign -- and that her battle doesn't begin
                       again. But we know that our battle must never end. 

                       You all have risen to the occasion, in as many different ways
                       as there are people here today. The challenge ahead of us is a
                       tough one. But I have every confidence, for look what ground
                       you have gained in just a few short years. You, the cancer
                       community -- the scientists and researchers, the doctors, and
                       most of all the families who have faced down cancer together
                       -- you are heroes. And heroes get the job done. 

                       There may be no silver bullet solution. But this I know: if we
                       link up the heroes with the hope and the skills -- if we harness
                       our most visionary science, and heed the hard-earned lessons
                       of you, our cancer community -- we can reach the day, in my
                       lifetime and yours, when America has finally won; when this
                       disease that used to plague us becomes, thanks to our efforts
                       together, a dark but distant footnote of the past. Thank you. 


