HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require healthcare providers to receive education about inflammatory breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that can be mistaken for other conditions, as part of an effort to improve recognition and reduce diagnostic delays.
House Bill 2850, known as “Marnie’s Law,” is sponsored by state Reps. Jennifer O’Mara and Gina Curry, both Delaware County Democrats, and Bridget Kosierowski, a Lackawanna County Democrat.
The proposal is named for Marnie Schulenburg, an Emmy-nominated actor known for her role on the television series “As the World Turns,” who died from inflammatory breast cancer in 2022.
Schulenburg was diagnosed with the disease five months after giving birth to her daughter in December 2019. Her experience has become the basis for a legislative effort focused on improving healthcare providers’ ability to recognize a cancer that can be confused with mastitis, an inflammation of breast tissue.
The lawmakers introduced the measure during a news conference at the state Capitol attended by Schulenburg’s father, widower, daughter, and other family members.
Inflammatory breast cancer, commonly called IBC, accounts for up to 5% of breast cancer cases, according to figures cited by the lawmakers. Its aggressive nature and potential for misdiagnosis have made early recognition a central concern for supporters of the legislation.
Curry, co-chair of the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus, also emphasized disparities in the disease’s incidence.
According to figures she cited, Black women have an inflammatory breast cancer incidence rate more than 70% higher than that of other women.
“Recognizing this disease is not just an awareness issue; it is an issue of timely diagnosis, health equity and potentially lifesaving action,” Curry said.
The legislative effort comes amid a broader breast cancer burden in Pennsylvania. Curry said more than 13,700 residents are expected to receive a breast cancer diagnosis this year, while more than 1,770 are projected to die from the disease.
Those statewide estimates encompass breast cancer generally, rather than inflammatory breast cancer alone.
O’Mara said supporters have begun seeking legislative backing beyond the House, including a meeting with Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Westmoreland County Republican.
“Breast cancer does not care about your party,” O’Mara said, emphasizing the need for cooperation across political lines.
Kosierowski, who disclosed that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, said the legislation is intended to improve recognition of the disease while treatment remains possible.
Schulenburg’s widower, Zack Robidas, said the actor had publicly discussed her diagnosis before her death to help other women recognize a condition she had not previously understood.
“We’re here to continue what Marnie started. We’re here to get more women more time,” Robidas said.
Her father, John Schulenburg, also pledged to continue advocating for the legislation.
“Marnie never gave up as she fought cancer, but the cancer never gave up. And I won’t either,” he said.
House Bill 2850 remains a legislative proposal. Its introduction begins the process of seeking approval from the General Assembly before any new healthcare provider education requirements could become law.
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