choices

for those of you who keep up with what the slebs are doing, you will know why, for those without a clue, here is an explanation:
a rich and famous American woman, known for her beauty, has had a double mastectomy (with breast reconstruction and she kept her nipples too) because she had a genetic high-risk of getting breast cancer. She is now encouraging other women to be brave enough to do the same.

Let's leave aside the science for a start. And the risk that she could've died under the anesthetic, leaving her children motherless. And that she might get run over by a bus tomorrow. And don't consider for a second what her breast were reconstructed with. Let's think about money. Breast-cancer is a killer in places where healthcare and access to healthcare is poor. If you can afford good healthcare and have access to it, breast cancer is survivable. A rich, American woman who can afford a double mastectomy can afford treatment if she gets breast cancer. So, why does she do it? Why doesn't she use her position to campaign for better healthcare? Why doesn't she promote mammograms and spend some of her excess money on paying for free tests for women who can't afford them?

She writes: Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people's hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness.

But I don't feel powerless. I've seen both my parents (and other people too) survive cancer and I know that surgeons can remove cancerous tissue and that radio and chemotherapy work. I know it's not pleasant. It's not something I want. But powerless? No!
But maybe that's because I have always lived in countries where I don't have to worry that I can't afford to have the treatment I need. I have noticed that medical problems are dealt with very differently in countries where healthcare is less accessible. In those places there are more radical solutions and more reliance on "alternative" medicine.

She writes: On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

I write: I do not define myself through my breasts. It's that simple.

Maybe she made a good decision for her. Maybe she was so frightened that it has improved her quality of life. But this is a personal decision and a very large % of people in her country cannot afford the luxury of this kind of decision. That's what she should be using her position to draw attention to, because that's the real killer.

And, as a footnote - people who write about their personal decisions in well read newspapers do it to invite discussion. I'm always happy to join in a discussion and to put my opinion "out there" for scrutiny. I know not everyone agrees with me - and to those people I say: here's your chance to convince me :-)