The politics of breast cancer: disease, personal experience and social activism in the modern world

Abstract

The article discusses a special form of public policy that arose in the context of attempts by various women's movements and organizations in the United States to draw public attention to the problems of women's health and the massive spread of cases of breast cancer. Improving the quality of life and sanitary progress contributed to the fact that in the twentieth century breast cancer became one of the main diseases of modern civilization, but the treatment methods used by doctors for a long time remained quite rude and not quite effective. The desire of women to influence the methods used by doctors and present their personal experience as having social significance contributed to the dissemination of the belief that the personal is political. The subsequent history of the politicization of personal experience can be considered a very special stage in the general history of the struggle of society against this dangerous disease. This story has its own, not always well-known heroes and heroines, and its own drama. Activists came forward on a wide front, but with different political agendas. The Pink Ribbon activists appeared on one flank; they set as their goal to help victims of the disease and to increase investment in medical research in oncology. Green policy advocates appeared on the other flanks; they proclaimed that it was necessary to fight not with the consequences of the disease, but with its causes, altering the current carcinogenic habitat. The history of modern breast cancer politics is not yet complete and not fully understood. This article is about the most important episodes of this story and its main actors.