Colonoscopies, the Iraq War, and Campaign 2008

My dad died a year ago this March of colon cancer, ironically during the month which, since President Bill Clinton’s proclamation in 2000, has been designated National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. According to the ACS, 40 percent of those who should be screened for the disease are not. One of these was my dad, who was told a colonscopy was not necessary, and by the time the cancer was discovered it had already spread to his liver. If caught before it spreads to another area of the body, colon cancer is 90 percent curable (5-year survival rate); 10 percent if it has metastasized (National Cancer Institute). If you are 50 or older you should be screened, earlier than this if there is a history of colon cancer in your family, history of inflammatory bowel disease, or other indicators that may put you at risk for the disease. The gold standard for screening is a colonoscopy, so if your doc tells you that you should have another screening method in place of a colonoscopy, tell him or her to go to Hell. My dad would certainly tell you they are not one and the same.

So what does this have to do with the 2008 presidential campaign? Everything. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have comprehensive health insurance plans that would extend health care to many of the 47 million Americans who do not have health insurance while expanding health care to the millions more who are woefully underinsured. Preventive services, such as colonoscopies, are important aspects of both the Clinton and Obama plans. John McCain has no plan at all, other than to continue to privatize health insurance and line the pockets of private insurers. Nothing about expanding care in any significant way to those currently without health insurance, let alone expanding benefits in any way. Just vague bluster about cutting costs and letting health care take care of itself. In this landscape, preventive services aren’t even an afterthought. In other words, health care under McCain will look just about the same as it does under George W. Bush.

The choices voters will make have great meaning for real people. If health care doesn’t do it for you, just think about the American lives (over 4000) and Iraqis (countless more) that have been lost as a direct result of electing W.

So in the spirit of my dad and spirit of all those who may live or die depending on the policies of our next President, I am including here contact info concerning colon cancer and screenings from the Centers for Disease Central website. Just a few moments nattering around on the website could save your life or the life of someone you love.

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ColorectalAwareness/