Effort to enact 'Marnie's Law' launches in General Assembly
Named for actor Marnie Schulenburg, H.B. 2850 would require education about deadly breast cancer
Southeast Delegation October 19, 2026 | 3:40 PM
HARRISBURG, Oct. 19 — A new effort was launched in Pennsylvania today to enact “Marnie’s Law,” which would require healthcare providers to be educated on the deadly cancer that killed Emmy-nominated actor Marnie Schulenburg.
State Reps. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, Bridget Kosierowski, D-Lackawanna, and Gina Curry, D-Delaware, announced the introduction of H.B. 2850 at a news conference in the state Capitol along with Schulenburg’s father, widower, daughter, and other relatives.
Marnie Schulenburg, best known for her role on “As the World Turns,” died in 2022 of inflammatory breast cancer, or IBC, an aggressive form that is often overlooked and misdiagnosed as mastitis. She was diagnosed with IBC five months after giving birth to her daughter in December 2019.
“Marnie never gave up as she fought cancer, but the cancer never gave up. And I won’t either, and neither will everybody up here,” said John Schulenburg, her father.
O’Mara said supporters of Marnie’s Law met today with state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, as they began laying the groundwork to move the legislation through the General Assembly.
“Because we understand that breast cancer does not care about your party,” O’Mara said. “It doesn’t care about what chamber you’re in or what state you live in, and we want to make sure here in Pennsylvania that we are doing everything we can to fight for women and to make sure their providers are educated.”
Schulenburg’s widower, Zack Robidas, noted that Schulenburg went public with her story on social media before she died “because she wanted other women to know what she hadn’t known.
“We’re here to continue what Marnie started. We’re here to get more women more time,” Robidas said.
Kosierowski, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, pointed out a sign behind her during the Capitol press conference that said, “Stop Cancer When It’s Curable.”
“And that’s really the meaning behind this legislation, and the meaning behind what Marnie fought so hard for,” Kosierowski said.
Curry, co-chair of the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus, noted that more than 13,700 Pennsylvanians are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer by the end of this year, and more than 1,770 are expected to die from the disease. IBC accounts for up to 5% of breast cancers, and Black women have an IBC 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. That is why Marnie’s Law matters,” Curry said.
More information about “Marnie’s Law” is available here: Home - Marnie's Army.
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