Member's statement: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Member's statement by Ms Joanne Bunting on .
- MLA
- Ms Joanne Bunting
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 13 October 2025
- Type
- Member's statement (made as a minister)
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5175435
Read the official Assembly record
Text
This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it was a true joy to attend Cancer Focus' Pink Run yesterday. Well done and congratulations to all who were involved in that. Today, I commemorate those who fought bravely and lost; congratulate those who have come out the other side; pay tribute and give heart to those who are currently in the fight; and send my best wishes to those who are waiting for appointments or results to find out whether they, too, must enter the fray. While every journey is different, and some are more severe than others, each one is a warrior in her own way. Credit, too, to their families and loved ones, who swallow their own thoughts, fears and worries for those they love in order to better support them by keeping a positive outward appearance. They are the people who carry us through. I express gratitude to those in healthcare and the various charities and volunteers who conduct research and provide support and guidance to the many women and, indeed, some men who are afflicted by this horrible disease. Most importantly though, I want to call on all women and men, regardless of age, to check themselves. Do not wait until you are apparently the right age for a mammogram; build those checks into your routine now without delay. Get in the shower, lather up and start at your collarbone, feeling in small circles with your fingertips, including under your arms. Do not just feel the surface; press in, push and feel. You are checking for something that may feel like an apple or an orange pip. Pay attention to your body, and look to see whether there are changes to your nipples. Look for inversion, difference in shape, discharge, blood or even a persistent itch. If you notice any of those or find a lump, contact your GP immediately. Time is of the essence. There is no shame or embarrassment in being checked. In this case, it is absolutely better to be safe than sorry. Delay could mean the difference between having a lump removed or losing your breast or, indeed, your life. Forget about embarrassment or causing inconvenience to hard-pressed medical professionals. They have seen it all before, and they want people to come quickly. Delay could cost you dearly, so do not delay. I went to an information evening in the East Belfast Community Development Agency that taught us how to feel for lumps and check ourselves, and, honestly, that may well have saved my life. I never checked myself before that. I was too young for a mammogram, and, like we all do, I did not think that it could happen to me. It was a pure accident that I found my lump, but, by the grace of God, I did, only because of its location. It did not show up on mammograms, and that, alone, demonstrates the need to check. Members know, I hope, that it is not really my thing to share very personal things. The only reason that I ever have done so is to raise awareness about breast cancer. If, by sharing, I can encourage people to check themselves and it makes a difference to even one person, it is worth letting people know. Please, please check yourselves, and do it regularly. It could make all the difference in the world and save your life.
566 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.16 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.43 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.40 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.13 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.03 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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