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REMARKS BY:	DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		Hadassah's 83rd Annual National Convention, Chicago, Illinois
DATE:		July 14, 1997

During my tour, I approached one of the Arab patients there and asked him in Arabic this question: "How are you being treated?" The young man replied, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Well to each and every one of you I will say the same: There's nowhere else I'd rather be!

Whenever I'm traveling, I'm reminded of how long I've been in Washington - and that I was a foot taller before I got there, not that being short ever stopped some of our most powerful leaders like Barbara Boxer, Barbara Mikulski - and a woman who was respected around the world: Golda Meir.

She was a hero of mine - and a great symbol for Zionism, for human rights, and women rights. As she proved, we can not only be head of state - we can help create a state. I love the fact that she, like me, once called Wisconsin home. But, what I particularly admired about Golda was her wonderful way of getting straight to the point.

She once said, "Don't be humble, you're not that great!" I think she was talking to Congress.

Because even in this city of commodity traders, no one will ever go broke underestimating the supply of humility in Washington. I often think that wouldn't be the case if more people would just heed the sage advise that the momma whale gave to the baby whale. She said, "It's only when you're spouting that you get harpooned." The Talmud put it even more simply: "Say little and do much."

Real greatness is a combination of courage and the good deed - or mitzvah.

And as the baby whale no doubt knew, that kind of greatness frequently comes from - yes, I'm going to say it, and say it proudly - our mothers.

Let me give you an example that I'll never forget. The year was 1920. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution had already passed Congress and been ratified by 35 states. And now the fate of woman suffrage lay in the hands of Tennessee and one of its representatives: Harry Burn.

Harry Burn was a 24 year old State Senator. More important, he was the son of Phoebe Burn. And when she found out her son was about to vote "no," she decided to write him a letter giving him her thoughts on the matter. This is what she wrote: "Be a good boy Harry . . . and do the right thing."

The rest, of course, is history. Harry Burn switched his vote from a "no" to a "yes" - and the 19th Amendment was ratified. In the end, Harry Burn, with a little help from his mother, did the right thing.

But his vote was only the last act that began with thousands of women marching and going to jail for a dream they would not let die. It was a dream rooted in a just cause that grew up through the hard soil of humiliation and oppression. It was a dream not unlike the Zionist dream. And the dreamers were not unlike you.

By pursuing your dreams, you've done more than make deserts bloom - you've made people and a national spirit bloom. You've done more than build a medical infrastructure for Israel, you've helped to build peace - a peace none of us will give up on.

You've helped build the largest women's organization in the United States and a powerful voice fighting for the health of all women. Now, we are at a moment where the past and the future meet - where we can see how far we've come together and how far we still must go.

Look around: Gone are the days when major clinical research trials did not include women. Gone are the days when mammogram facilities operated without high standards. Gone are the days when gag rules prevented women from getting important information about their reproductive health.

But these achievements are just the beginning. We must do more.

No American should have to worry that their genetic information will be used to discriminate against them in their jobs or their health insurance. You have stood up and said, no, this should not happen.

And I'm pleased to announce that when I leave here this morning, I'm going straight to the White House for an event to make sure that it does not happen. I will be presenting a report to the President to help make sure that victims of breast cancer won't be victimized again by genetic discrimination. And I will be standing with everyone who brought us to this day - with breast cancer victims, members of Congress of both parties, and, of course, a representative from Hadassah - to support the goals of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter's bill, and to call upon the Congress to pass legislation that gives Americans the protection and peace of mind they deserve.

It must happen. And because of your hard work, it will happen.

It's the same with tobacco. I know that Hadassah Magazine was one of the first to promise not to take tobacco advertising. This Administration also made a promise - to kick Joe Camel out of our children's lives. Well guess what, today Joe Camel is finally history!

And now we must make another promise - to not back down - not even for a minute - until we win this battle to save our young people from tobacco.

As you know, the parties involved in the tobacco talks recommended a proposed settlement. I want to make a few important points about this. First, we wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the leadership of President Clinton and the Food and Drug Administration. Never before in history has a President taken on the tobacco industry. I'm proud of that, and I know you are too.

Second, President Clinton promised the American people a rigorous review of this proposal, and that's exactly what we're doing. We have some concerns that this proposal limits the scope of FDA jurisdiction, but I must stress that we have not reached an overall conclusion on the proposed settlement. Because in the end, and this is my third point, the only bottom line will be the one set by President Clinton: Will this proposal improve the health of our children?

When all is said and done, that's why we're here.

And no organization has done more than Hadassah to make sure that our children - especially our girls - grow up healthy and strong. With literacy programs for young children. With Check It Out for high school girls. With mentoring, volunteerism and advocacy.

Thanks in part to you, young girls can go as far as their dreams will take them. Think about it: We can finally look young girls in the eyes and say, "yes, your generation can be anything you want to be. Not only CEOs and sports stars. Not only Supreme Court Justices and scientists. Not only Senators and Cabinet Secretaries. But, yes, you can be President. You can be President." I believe it will happen.

And, I predict that one day a Hadassah member will be President of the United States.

As you know, our nation recently celebrated the fifth annual Take Our Daughters to Work Day. That day, our Department had the opportunity to host girls from around D.C. As people who have spent many years watching young girls grow up, I'm sure you can guess what happened - the girls ended up hosting us.

But the highlight of the day came when the girls got a chance to ask me, Gloria Steinem and the former Miss Black U.S.A. a few questions. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the first question addressed to me. It was "How old are you?"

But I was thrilled by the girls' responses. Especially their response to the posters we gave them of Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes who the girls see as a real role model.

At age six, when too many kids are glued to the TV set, Dominique was writing this word, in crayon, over and over again on her bathroom mirror: Determination. That's what it takes to be a champion: Determination. And determination is what it's going to take from each of us to ensure that every girl - every single girl - has the courage, self- confidence, and timeless values that Henrietta Szold envisioned for young Jewish girls.

Right now, that is not the case.

Right now, too many adolescent girls spend hours in front of the mirror.

Any parent will tell you that's nothing new. What is new is that they're peering at their reflections through a modern-day looking glass. The distorted images they see upset them. And as people who care deeply about girls, they should scare us too.

I'm going to be blunt: We have a generation of 9-14 year old girls at serious risk.

All of us have seen it happen to girls close to us: Young girls once strong and full of resilience, somehow lose their very selves during adolescence and enter the second decade of their lives without the strength and confidence that got them there.

While growing up these days is tough for everyone, the research tell us that girls experience adolescence differently than boys. While boys often become more aggressive, girls often turn inward and self-destruct. While boys often smoke to be rebellious, girls often do it to stay thin. In adolescence, young girls often start neglecting their own studies and aspirations.

Twenty-five years after we enacted Title IX, girls are still twice as likely as boys to be physically inactive. They're more likely to be depressed. More likely to attempt suicide. And more likely to have a negative body image. What we know is that all of these factors are related, that no one problem stands alone, and that girls with poor body images often have the riskiest attitudes about tobacco, drugs and sex.

And we know from surveys that more than half of nine year-olds have dieted. That's nine year-olds.

Unbelieveable? Not when so much of their self-image is tied up with being thin and attractive. Not when we've all heard stories of anorexic girls who hear people say, "you look great" - right up until the time they are hospitalized. And not when the media bombards girls with images that tell them that being unnaturally thin - even gaunt - is attractive; that alcohol will make them popular; and that smoking will make them thin and successful.

That it's a "woman thing."

A social worker in Los Angeles told me a story about a 14 year-old girl she was interviewing. When she asked the girl what she liked about herself, the answer was all too typical, "I don't know." But she does know what she would change about herself - and here she rattles off a whole list of physical attributes like her eyes and hair and weight.

The truth is, this young woman, and too many like her, are more worried about gaining weight and being accepted than they are about excelling in school or staying healthy.

Clearly, this isn't your fault. But, it is your problem. It is my problem. It is our problem. It is an American problem. And, together, we have a responsibility to help solve it.

That's the purpose of our Girl Power! campaign: To team up with parents and other adults to help 9-14 year-old girls make the most of their lives.

Girl Power! is not a one-size-fits-all campaign of the past - the kind that treats problems in isolation and provides only one answer: Say no. We've taken a comprehensive approach. The Hadassah approach.

With targeted health messages about the behaviors - like drugs, smoking and teen pregnancy - that girls should avoid, yes. But also with strong positive messages about leadership, opportunity and physical activity - messages that tap into the strengths girls have when they are younger. With PSAs, posters, diaries, billboards and other materials, we are telling every girl: You are unique. You are valuable. And, if you put your mind to it, you can succeed.

So, what does girl power mean to young girls?

I put that question to girls during Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

And, as usual, they said it far better than I ever could.

They wrote, "Girl Power!" is about being anything you want to be. Increasing your knowledge, helping others. Girl Power! is standing up for what you believe in. Choosing right from wrong. Exercising. Being drug free."

And finally, a young girl simply wrote, "I think Girl Power! is special."

The question is, how do we ensure that every girl feels this way throughout her life?

Let me give you just a few recent examples of what we're doing. In April, I went to the Women's Basketball Final Four to release a report showing that sports and physical activity can have a positive impact on all aspects of a girl's life - everything from self- confidence to making the grade in school.

In May, I traveled to California to announce our new grant program that will dedicate one million dollars this year to communities - so they can help 9-14 year-old girls abstain from sex and other risky behaviors - and reach their full potentials.

Just last week, we formed a partnership with the Girl Scouts - complete with a Girl Power! patch - that has the potential to reach millions of girls.

And everywhere I go continue to challenge the media to give adolescent girls positive programs and role models that they can relate to and aspire to.

Girls that make them proud of who they are and who they can become. That's important. Because whether the message is sports or teen pregnancy prevention, the government will never be able to deliver it alone.

It's going to take each and every one of us.

That was the point of the President's volunteerism summit.

And, it's why I'm pleased to announce today a new partnership with Hadassah. Working together, we will reach out to all girls in Young Judaea - targeting the younger members and asking the older members to act as Girl Power! ambassadors; spreading the word to their siblings and friends - in large communities and small - that they should stay active, stay healthy, stay strong and excel in school.

And Hadassah's national office has agreed to make Girl Power! materials available to all 300,000 members. To all of you. So that you can reach out to your daughters, granddaughters, nieces and friends. To your schools and synagogues. And to your communities.

But this should be just the beginning. As leaders, as women, as proud members of Hadassah, all of us must do more to give girls 9-14 the same kind of attention, special programs, and positive messages you're already giving to older girls and younger girls.

Nine is not too early - but waiting until fourteen might be too late.

Because, with just the people in this room, we have the power to create strong futures for millions of young girls. Think about it.

Think about the three leading causes of preventable death in this country: tobacco, poor diet and lack of physical activity.

Now, image what could happen if we inspired the daughters of every Hadassah member to get active, eat right, stay away from tobacco - for a lifetime.

Think of the lives we could save. Think of the lives we must save.

Imagine what could happen if we continue to reach out to all girls - especially underserved girls - with targeted messages for their unique health needs.

Imagine what could happen if we teach all girls to be media savvy - to understand not just how to log onto the Internet, but also how to log out of bad choices and resist bad messages.

Imagine what could happen if we reach out to young boys - and teach them to treat girls as equals, to respect their aspirations and skills; and support their dreams.

Think of the futures we could create. Think of the futures we must create.

And, finally, imagine what could happen if we grab on to all girls when they're very young; if we put our arms around them; if we teach them to be healthy, to be strong and stay strong; and if we never let them go.

Think of the nation we could create. Think of the nation we must create.

Anne Frank wrote: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

That is the standard by which we must judge ourselves. Not by what we say today, but by what we do tomorrow. Because somewhere a girl is looking in the mirror. What will she see? Will she know that her health and future are more important than her image? That the size of her ambition is more important than the size of her clothes? And that the dreams she creates for herself are more important than those created for her by the media?

Will she look in the mirror like Dominique Dawes and see not defeat, but determination?

Throughout the long painful and ultimately triumphant history of the Jewish people, that is what you've always seen, and that is what every girl in this country must see too.

And with Hadassah leading the way, I know they will.

Thank you.

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