BILL NUMBER:  SB 791
  VETOED	DATE: 10/09/2011




To the Members of the California State Senate:

While I wholeheartedly support everyone's right to information about
their own health, the notice in this bill gave me pause. I talked to
many people, including doctors I respect, about the effects of the
notice -- both its risks and benefits -- and struggled over the
words. Were they a path to greater knowledge or unnecessary anxiety?

My conclusion was this: every patient needs health information they
can use. For women, that likely includes information about breast
density. But the notice contained in this bill goes beyond
information about breast density.  It advises that additional
screening may be beneficial.  If the state must mandate a notice
about breast density -- and I am not certain it should -- such a
notice must be more carefully crafted, with words that educate more
than they prescribe.

I am returning Senate Bill 791 without my signature.

Sincerely,



Edmund G. Brown Jr.