Saturday, February 02, 2008
So, it’s finally arrived: Super Tuesday, “the first almost-national primary,” a day when millions of Americans in 24 states will vote for their favorite Presidential candidates. Voters in such delegate-rich states as California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois will be casting ballots, and by the end of the day, we may have a pretty clear picture of who the 2008 Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates will be. Finally. After nearly 2 years of campaigning. Whew!
Still, after all of those ads, all the magazine articles and newspaper editorials and televised debates, do you know which candidates support funding for breast cancer research most strongly? Which can be counted on to restore the budgets of the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health, this country’s chief scientific research centers, both of which have seen their funding severely slashed during the 8 years of the current administration? And which have jumped on the cancer bandwagon only lately, seemingly for the sake of political expediency?
I spent an evening plowing through Web sites, both those of the candidates themselves, and others (including Healthcare ’08, right on this site) that have devoted time and energy to ferreting out candidates’ views on health care. The subject is complex, and the landscape immense; but there are several key federal initiatives concerning breast cancer where a candidate’s support would be a plus, in my book:
•The Department of Defense (DOD) Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program, which works to fight breast cancer by establishing a partnership between the federal government, the scientific community, and patient advocacy groups;
•The Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (renewable yearly), which last year provided more than 700,000 free screenings for breast and cervical cancer for low-income and uninsured women;
•The Breast Cancer Environmental Research Act, which investigates crucial links between environmental pollutants and breast cancer.
The following is my summary of where the leading five Presidential candidates stand on health care in general and on cancer, particularly breast cancer. I’ve also included my feeling about each of them, just an intuitive assessment after reading reams of material. Caveat emptor: I’m no political analyst, simply an educated, intelligent American woman interested in making a smart choice at the polls. And certainly breast cancer isn’t my entire focus when deciding on a candidate; but clearly it’s important to me. I feel personally affronted by candidates who seemingly could care less about cancer research funding. And speaking of personal, I believe that a candidate’s close encounter with cancer would naturally make him or her at least slightly more attuned to its significance in the lives of those of us who have it. So if I found reference to it, I’ve included any personal connection with cancer that any candidates have experienced. I’ve also given each candidate a grade based on how serious I feel they are about funding cancer research and patient/survivor support.
Still, after all of those ads, all the magazine articles and newspaper editorials and televised debates, do you know which candidates support funding for breast cancer research most strongly? Which can be counted on to restore the budgets of the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health, this country’s chief scientific research centers, both of which have seen their funding severely slashed during the 8 years of the current administration? And which have jumped on the cancer bandwagon only lately, seemingly for the sake of political expediency?
I spent an evening plowing through Web sites, both those of the candidates themselves, and others (including Healthcare ’08, right on this site) that have devoted time and energy to ferreting out candidates’ views on health care. The subject is complex, and the landscape immense; but there are several key federal initiatives concerning breast cancer where a candidate’s support would be a plus, in my book:
•The Department of Defense (DOD) Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program, which works to fight breast cancer by establishing a partnership between the federal government, the scientific community, and patient advocacy groups;
•The Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (renewable yearly), which last year provided more than 700,000 free screenings for breast and cervical cancer for low-income and uninsured women;
•The Breast Cancer Environmental Research Act, which investigates crucial links between environmental pollutants and breast cancer.
The following is my summary of where the leading five Presidential candidates stand on health care in general and on cancer, particularly breast cancer. I’ve also included my feeling about each of them, just an intuitive assessment after reading reams of material. Caveat emptor: I’m no political analyst, simply an educated, intelligent American woman interested in making a smart choice at the polls. And certainly breast cancer isn’t my entire focus when deciding on a candidate; but clearly it’s important to me. I feel personally affronted by candidates who seemingly could care less about cancer research funding. And speaking of personal, I believe that a candidate’s close encounter with cancer would naturally make him or her at least slightly more attuned to its significance in the lives of those of us who have it. So if I found reference to it, I’ve included any personal connection with cancer that any candidates have experienced. I’ve also given each candidate a grade based on how serious I feel they are about funding cancer research and patient/survivor support.
