Pittsburgh-area lawmakers and organizations aim to raise awareness about prostate cancer risks

September marks the beginning of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in the United States, and statistics show that one in seven Pennsylvanians will be diagnosed with the disease.

A groundswell of bipartisanship has grown among state lawmakers in western Pennsylvania, supporting legislation to help lead to early detection.

The state House version of the bill, HB 281, and the state Senate version, SB 447, would mandate insurance companies in Pennsylvania to cover the cost of prostate cancer screening regardless of the insurance carrier. 

"Removing the barriers and making sure that we can get those patients to be able to get early detection is going to be key to giving them their best chance at survival," said state Senator Devlin Robinson, the prime sponsor of the state Senate bill.

Robinson lost his father to prostate cancer after being diagnosed with the disease in his late 50s.

"I have the BRCA2 gene mutation, and that's what my father wasn't able to fight with his prostate cancer because of that," he said.

"There's somewhat of a nominal cost compared to what could be saved when you detect something early," said state Senator Jay Costa, a co-sponsor of the state Senate bill. 

Twelve years ago, Costa was able to beat prostate cancer because a doctor detected it early by noticing a gradual increase in his prostate-specific antigen levels.

When speaking with each of the three local lawmakers who support the bill, it's easy to discover that this bill is as much personal for them as it is legislative.

"From my standpoint, it wasn't difficult with this type of bill," said state Senator Wayne Fontana, a co-sponsor whose father and brother were diagnosed with prostate cancer. 

Costa's office has been working with local organizations and nonprofits, like Blackout PCa, to raise awareness and promote early screening in underserved communities.

"Blackout meaning 'eradicate, stop,'" said CEO Audra DeVaughn, who co-founded the nonprofit with her twin sister, Asia Gray. "Black meaning 'Black men.'" 

Their father, James Bradshaw, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021 and died in 2024. Black men have the highest prostate cancer death rate of any other racial or ethnic group and are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as white men, according to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

"We wanted something to support him and men like him," said DeVaughn.

"Everybody knows somebody who has had cancer in some capacity," said state Representative Emily Kinkead, co-sponsor of HB 281. "I think that this is one of those issues that very easily crosses party lines." 

Kinkead, Costa and Fontana are all Democrats, while Robinson is a Republican. But all agree that this bill is not only necessary; it's imperative throughout the commonwealth.

"This isn't a partisan bill," said Fontana. "It doesn't affect Democrats and not Republicans and vice versa, so it's something I think we can all relate to." 

DeVaughn's path crossed with the state lawmakers in early June when she spoke in support of the legislation in the rotunda of the state assembly building for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Day.

"It was very overwhelming, anxiety-filled," said DeVaughn. "But it was purposeful. It was exciting. It was just amazing to be able to stand there, not just for me and my family, but all families."

"We are grateful to see that attention to the cancer continuum and making sure that early detection is within reach because we know early detection saves lives," said Emily Greco, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

Both versions of the bill are currently in committee. For them to pass, they would have to be voted through committee and then voted to pass in their respective chambers before being approved by the other chamber. 

However, if one of the bills were to be rejected before the end of the legislative session in late November, then both bills would be nullified, and the process would have to start again, with each being re-drafted in January 2027.

Each of the lawmakers, however, had varying degrees of optimism about finally creating a finished product for legislation that has been years in the making.

"We are moving Pennsylvania forward, and we should be able to get something like this in place to be able to pass and put on the governor's desk," said Robinson.