In his continuing efforts to make the fight against cancer a leading election campaign issue in 2008, retired pro cyclist Lance Armstrong penned an opinion article that appeared Wednesday on the CNN website.
In it, he chastises politicians for cutting funding for cancer research. He also says political candidates ignored the nation's No. 2 killer as they tried to get voters to the polls last November.
Armstrong also is a main guest on a CNN one-hour special on the fight against cancer airing Saturday and Sunday.
In the op/ed piece, “Armstrong: Washington weakens fight against cancer,” the 7-time Tour de France winner writes:
“The political ads didn't tell voters that earlier in the year funding for cancer research was cut for the first time in 30 years. Nor did they explain that a lack of funding slows the pace of scientific discovery and the development of treatments. Our candidates did not mention the decrease in funding for programs that provide information and screening to people who need these services. I think this is unwise, but it is what our government has done this past year. I waited patiently for an explanation, some clarification or justification. Ten million cancer survivors deserve an answer. We didn't get one.”
He concludes:
“We need to stubbornly hold our leaders accountable and we need the courage to ask tough questions of our elected officials. Few issues facing our government are more personal or more critical than the health of our citizens. What are we going to do to effectively fight cancer? Millions of Americans with cancer are asking.”
Armstrong's drive to make the cancer fight a national election issue in 2008 will certainly ensure his attendance at RAGBRAI this summer. The Republican and Democratic caucuses in Iowa are the first real polling for potential presidential nominees, and if Iowan have cancer on their minds, so will the candidates.
When he rode for a couple of days at last year's RAGBRAI, Armstrong told a huge throng in Newton that he'd be back in 2007 to ride for the entire week. The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa is scheduled for July 22-28 this year.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation website has a link to sign up as part of an advocacy team to make cancer a national priority.
Meanwhile, Armstrong is co-hosting a CNN special this weekend with medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Among the segments is a discussion by Armstrong, Dr. Harold Freeman, associate director of the US National Cancer Institute, and cancer survivor and magazine editor Clifton Leaf in which they conclude that the lives of hundreds of thousands cancer victims could be saved through the application of current knowledge about cancer.
The days and times are:
Saturday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. (EST) and 11 p.m. (EST);
Sunday, Jan. 14 at 2 a.m. (EST), 8 p.m. (EST) and 11 p.m. (EST).
Recent Comments