Breast density bills advance in Texas, Calif.

Legislation that would mandate that women be informed of their breast density has advanced in state Legislatures in both Texas and California.

In Texas, a bill has passed the House of Representatives and is on its way to Gov. Rick Perry's desk, according to Nancy Cappello, PhD, founder of Are You Dense, an organization that urges women to be informed about dense breast tissue and how it affects early detection of breast cancer.

HB 2102, known as "Henda's Law," has already passed in the state Senate. It passed in the House on May 26 and was delivered to the governor on May 30. Now, the bill's advocates have 10 days to wait to see whether Perry will sign it, veto it, or do nothing -- in which case the bill will become law anyway.

In California on June 1, a similar bill, SB 173, passed the Senate 34 to 5 and is scheduled to be heard in the California Assembly the week of June 20, according to Cappello. The bill requires that, following a mammogram, women with dense breast tissue be informed of their status, alerted that dense breast tissue can hide abnormalities on a mammogram, and told that they may wish to discuss additional screening with their doctor.