Senator Hillary Clinton announced that she wants to increase breast cancer research funding by $300 million if elected president. Her campaign has said that finding a cure would be a top priority in her domestic policy. Catherine Brown, Clinton’s domestic policy director, said the extra funding would go toward researching a cure, discovering the causes and cutting treatment costs. Brown has also stated that Clinton’s goal is to increase funding to as much as $1.5 billion annually within the next decade.
Well, what about all the other cancers Americans face? Clinton, as well as all the potential presidential candidates, has been completely silent about cancer research, other then her commitment to breast cancer. Please do not misunderstand me, I would love to see breast cancer research funding receive $1.5 billion, but I also want to see all cancers receive this type of priority. I understand that I might be criticized for questioning her one sided commitment to breast cancer. I am not against breast cancer research; I am for an explosion of funding for all cancers.
We need to stand up and be counted. We need to speak up for equitable cancer research funding. Go to www.prostatecancerpetition.org and sign our petition to MAKE PROSTATE CANCER A NATIONAL PRIORITY.
(the petition)
Making Prostate Cancer A National Priority
January 21, 2009
To the President of the United States,
Prostate Cancer incidence rates are comparable to Breast Cancer rates. Yet, federal funding is significantly higher for Breast Cancer research than for Prostate Cancer.
In 2008, there were the same number of new cases of Prostate Cancer (186,320) as Breast Cancer (184,450), as estimated by the American Cancer Society.
• In 2007, Breast Cancer received almost two thirds more funding ($127.5 million) from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program as did Prostate Cancer ($80 million dollars) (59.5% difference).
• In 2007, Breast Cancer received more than twice as much funding ($707 million) as did Prostate Cancer ($305 million) from our nation’s medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health (231% difference).
Breast and Prostate Cancer scientists should not be made to compete for limited research funding. Scientists must feel encouraged to develop prostate cancer research. Both Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer research funding must continue to grow. Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer patients, equal in number, should receive equal and adequate funding and promotion for research.
We, the undersigned, call on the President of the United States and the Congress to make Prostate Cancer research a national public health priority. Specifically, we ask the President of the United States to ensure that promotion and funding for Prostate Cancer research is, at all times, comparable to those levels allocated for Breast Cancer.
SIGN OUR PETITION – GO TO WWW.PROSTATECANCERPETITION.ORG
Joel T Nowak, MA, MSW
Joel,
This really upset me. Already breast cancer gets more than it’s share of research dollars. If she had said something about cancer rather than breast cancer then it could be supported by a larger political base. Breast cancer advocates are vocal and have louder political voice than other cancers. Shame on Hillary Clinton for this political move. As a woman I wonder why not support ovarian, pancreatic or colon cancer all of which impact women as well as men.
What will it take for men to step up to the plate and get more involved? Sign the petition but go beyond that.
Signed the petition but the dates are off by a year in several instances. This is 2008.
Regarding John’s comment about dates on the petition: the petition is written to the date of submission. So, it is dated Jan 21, 2009. The statistics about 2008 are stated as estimates provided by the American Cancer Society.
Easy to be confused about all that. Hope everyone reads and signs up at http://www.prostatecancerpetition.org