WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe was inducted into the National Breast Cancer Coalition Hall of Fame on Tuesday for her leadership on congressional efforts to fight breast cancer. The coalition honored Snowe at its annual Congressional Awards Breakfast and presented its award to her during a meeting in her Capitol Hill office.

“Under your leadership, a number of very important legislative proposals that would demonstrably move our efforts forward were introduced and enacted,” said Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. “Your hard work and initiative has made a significant impact in the women’s health care arena, and helped advance the dialogue on breast cancer issues.”

For this year’s induction ceremony, Snowe and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., were inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the coalition honored Rep. Nita Lowrey, D-N.Y., and Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. In 1998, Snowe received the NBCC’s national Public Leadership Award for her work to promote breast cancer research and funding and for her advocacy on behalf of breast cancer victims and their families.

“Breast cancer is a tragedy that will strike one out of every eight women in America,” said Snowe in accepting the award. “The coalition has been on the front lines in the war against this vicious killer, and I am proud to join with distinguished advocates for breast cancer research and funding on the Hall of Fame.”

Snowe, the former co-chairwoman of the Congressional Caucus on Women’s Issues when she was in the House of Representatives, has introduced legislation in Congress to protect women with a genetic predisposition for breast cancer from being discriminated against by insurance companies, as well as legislation to end the practice of so-called “drive-through” mastectomies.