By Haleemah Atobiloye, Program Manager
This week in Think Before You Pink® Goes Rogue we’re focused on The Politics of Breast Cancer, because breast cancer has always been political.
Who has access to healthcare, effective treatments, and safe and healthy environments is determined by economic inequality, by policies set at the local and federal level, and by the effectiveness of our regulatory agencies.
Join us this week in learning more, building collective power, and taking action to demand changes in policy that will address and end breast cancer by preventing this disease before it starts.
The breast cancer crisis highlights often-overlooked intersections between politics, social justice, the law, and the healthcare industry.
At BCAction, we address the politics of breast cancer at the intersections of social justice, legislation, and science. This encompasses a wide range of social, economic, and policy-related issues regarding breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, and support for individuals affected by the disease.
Read more about how we define the politics of breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Action has three programmatic priorities: issues of breast cancer screening, treatment, and diagnosis; the root causes of the disease (a.k.a breast cancer and the environment); and pink ribbon marketing culture.
These core areas of expertise determine our policy priorities. We analyze, support or oppose, and take action on legislation regarding: policies in healthcare, including advocating for universal healthcare (issues of breast cancer screening, treatment, and diagnosis), policies on the environment and chemical regulation, including energy policies which impact the environment (root causes of the disease), and corporate accountability (born of our critical lens on pink ribbon fundraisers, our experience in following the money, and our values of accountability, transparency, and prioritizing people’s health over corporate profit).
We carry out our legislative advocacy in three ways: 1) We demand changes from legislators by sending letters, making calls, and attending virtual and in-person meetings in support of the passage of specific bills, 2) We endorse and join allied organizations in supporting or opposing bills, and 3) We make our community of breast cancer activists aware of relevant bills and issues, so we can take action together.
The criteria that guide our endorsements are:
This week, in week four of our 2023 Think Before You Pink campaign, Think Before You Pink Goes Rogue, join us learning more – and taking action on – the politics of breast cancer.
Together, we will: