I was looking for an event to write about this morning and what I found hit home with me. There have been a number of stories written about the Edwards family within the past few days. The North Carolina democrat, John Edwards, announced Thursday that "his wife's cancer had returned in an incurable form." In a story written by John M. Broder, and Adam Nagourney from the New York Times Edwards stated that "the campaign goes on strongly." While further reading this story I began to think to myself. At what point does this story become an intrusion of privacy?
Edwards is taking part in the Presidential Candidacy for 2008 yes, but in my opinion I feel that there are some things the public should know little about, or know nothing at all about. Of course I realize that people want to know who their candidates are, but to what end? When cancer struck my family I did not want everyone to know about it, and I only told those whom mattered. I know that I wouldn't want the entire world to know. For the Edwards, that is the case. This is something that is going to change Edwards, but I don't see how it will change his campaign. Yes, it might result in the cancellations of events but I really don't see why this has become such a large story.
The media may be thinking that cancer affects a lot of people, and this is why they can cover this in such depth . According to the American Cancer Society an "estimated 211,240 cases of invasive breast cancer" were diagnosed in 2005. This is shocking number and may also contribute to the amount of coverage this unfortunate event has received. I still don't think it needs to be covered so extensively. Even though the Edwards are in the public eye, they still deserve privacy.
The line between public knowledge and private business is a gray one for politicians indeed. People want to know their candidates, but they also deserve the same when it comes to personal issues. We certainly wouldn't want them to know our problems, so why are we so intent on knowing theirs?
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As I heard about this story I was in a patients room at the hospital I intern at. My patient just so happened to have recently had breast cancer that had thankfully gone into remission. She was horrified with how the media was covering this story. I agreed; some things should not be used to influence one's decision about a political canidate. Breast cancer should not be portrayed as a sympathy card for the politician who's not even the one affected by the disease.
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