http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091116/ap_on_he_me/us_med_mammogram_advice
When I read this, I was shocked. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. And, even though I realized that I was jumping to conclusions, I couldn't help but wonder about the motivations behind this new "recommendation."
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has put out new advice for America's women. They recommend that women in their 40's no longer receive yearly mammograms. Instead, they say, women should wait until 50, when the risk of breast cancer becomes higher.
My aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 31. Both of my grandmothers have had the disease, one of whom died at age 43. I have several great aunts that have had the disease as well. I am only 20 years old, but I plan to have my first mammogram before I finish college. I realize that my family is a special case; the majority of women do not have the family history that I do, and perhaps I am paranoid. But I think that most everyone who has a family history of ANY disease would agree with me when I say that when it comes to medical issues and early detection, we are all better safe than sorry.
Obviously, the government was quick to diffuse any suspicion that this new recommendation has anything to do with the health care debate. Sebelius issued a public statement assuring everyone that this was not an official government recommendation. But I'm not so hasty to believe that. I've always liked Health Secretary Sebelius, ever since she gave the speech after Bush's last State of the Union address. Furthermore, I am supportive of healthcare reform--providing we can see more clear-cut plans and ideas and less generalities propagated by the mainstream media. But nothing comes for free, and if government subsidized healthcare means that preventative action is going to go by the wayside, it's time to find another plan.
Thousands of women die every year from breast cancer. I realize that only a fraction of those women are under 50, but that's still too many! I would like to think that in our country of opportunity, that our preventative services organizations would do just about anything to save as many lives as possible. I also understand that they didn't outlaw mammograms for younger women, they just discouraged them. But not every woman is going to be proactive. Many are scared and many just don't think that it will happen to them. Recommendations like this one will decrease the numbers of women that will seek regular mammograms and give them a false sense of security, leading to more needless pain and many many more deaths.
I could go on forever about this subject; I feel very strongly about it. But I can say one thing: in three years, if I go to seek my first mammogram and my insurance doesn't cover it because I'm too young, I will raise hell. I will go to Canada. But I will take the necessary preventative measures to make sure that I stay healthy and alive, and I hope that my fellow American women will do the same.
