Kendrick Meek: “I ask this House and this Congress to pay attention to this very important plea I am making this morning. This is Lupus…”

“I ask this House and this Congress to pay attention to this very important plea I am making this morning. This is Lupus Awareness Month. People all over this country are not quite aware of the danger of this auto-immune disease called lupus. It kills more people than AIDS and several other infectious diseases. It is time we woke up to lupus. It is a killer. It is a killer of young women in their child bearing years. It is a crippler of men as well as women, but more so women. I am asking support throughout this country for my bill on lupus. It is the Care Act of 1999. Remember, lupus has a significant impact on women in child bearing years, so your wives, daughters and sisters will be affected by this terrible disease. Charles Kurault died of this disease recently. It is a killer, it breaks your back. I want Members to help me with this bill and try to get it scheduled in this Congress. It has been up for 3 years. It is time that lupus is recognized.”