Breast Cancer and AIDS: Significant Issues in the United States in the Late 20th Century Essay (Critical Writing)

Breast cancer and AIDS became significant issues in the United States in the late 20th century. Numerous women had cancer of this type, while millions of people irrespective of their age, sex, and origin were infected with “a strange illness of unknown origin” (National Museum of American History, n.d.). That is why American activists actively addressed the two diseases. Thus, the given paper is going to explain why these activists challenged regulatory and scientific authorities and what they demanded.

To begin with, one should state that the activists opposed the American authorities because those essential for society diseases did not obtain appropriate attention. The government took some effort to address the issue, but “research was primarily driven not by intellectual curiosity, but by the political climate” (Warner & Tighe, 2001, p. 490). As a result, the activists accused public officials of incompetence and unfairness. That is why civic enthusiasts made a few specific claims. On the one hand, they demanded a fair distribution of research funds. According to Warner and Tighe (2001), government expenditures rose from $90 million to $465 million on breast cancer and from $743.53 million to $1.338 billion on AIDS (p. 489). On the other hand, the activists demanded: “a quicker approval process for drug treatments” (Office of NIH History, n.d., para. 28).

In conclusion, AIDS and breast cancer attracted much attention from public activists in the late 20th century. These individuals believed that regulatory and scientific authorities performed their functions improperly. That is why the enthusiasts challenged their practices and made specific demands to improve the situation. One can suppose that the activists under consideration have contributed to the fact that people with breast cancer and AIDS are treated better today.

References

1. National Museum of American History. (n.d.). HIV and AIDS 30 years ago. Web.
2. Office of NIH History. (n.d.). Timeline (1981-1988). Web.
3. Warner, J. H., & Tighe, J. A. (2001). Major problems in the history of American medicine and public health: documents and essays. Houghton Mifflin.