Truth, Lies, and Public Health: How We Are Affected When Science and Politics Collide

257 Pages·2007·1.18 MB·English

by  Madelon L. Finkel

TRUTH, LIES,
AND
PUBLIC HEALTH

TRUTH, LIES,
AND
PUBLIC HEALTH
How We Are Affected When
Science and Politics Collide
Madelon Lubin Finkel
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Finkel,MadelonLubin,1949–
Truth,lies,andpublichealth:howweareaffectedwhenscienceandpolitics
collide/MadelonLubinFinkel.
p.;cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13:978-0-275-99128-9(alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0-275-99128-8(alk.paper)
1.Medicalpolicy—UnitedStates.I.Title.
[DNLM:1.HealthPolicy—UnitedStates.2.BiomedicalResearch—legislation&
jurisprudence—UnitedStates.3.CommunicableDiseaseControl—legislation&
jurisprudence—UnitedStates.4.Politics—UnitedStates.5.PublicHealth—legislation&
jurisprudence—UnitedStates.WA540AA1F499t2007]
RA395.A3F537 2007
362.10973—dc22 2007016345
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:2)C 2007byMadelonFinkel
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2007016345
ISBN-13:978-0-275-99128-9
ISBN-10:0-275-99128-8
Firstpublishedin2007
PraegerPublishers,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
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InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
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thankyoufor yoursupport, advice, andlove

Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xxi
1. AboutPoliticsandScience 1
2. ThePoliticsofContraception 13
3. TheGlobalAIDSEpidemic:CouldItHaveBeenPrevented? 31
0. withSandraDemars
4. TheStemCellControversy:NavigatingaSeaofEthics,
Politics,andScience 55
0. withRyanCauley
5. MarijuanaasMedicine:ScienceversusPolitics 71
6. TheQuintessentialCatch-22:TheU.S.ApproachtoNeedle
ExchangeinHIVAIDSPrevention 87
0. withIvanIp,MPH
7. BleakHouseandBeyond:HowTuberculosisControl
GotSide-tracked 103
8. Science,Politics,andtheRegulationofDietarySupplements 113
viii Contents
9. SiliconeBreastImplants:Misconceptions,Misinterpretations,
andMistakes 131
10. ObesityandPublicPolicy 153
0. withJoannaM.Paladino
11. DiseasePreventionthroughVaccination:TheScience
andtheControversy 173
0. withTonyRosen,MPH
Notes 193
Index 219
AbouttheAuthorandContributors 233
Preface
People in general have no notion of the sort and the amount of evidence
oftenneededtoprovethesimplestmatteroffact.
PeterMereLatham,MD(1789–1875)
As an epidemiologist who also has a keen interest in health care policy, I have
oftenbeen struck firstly by how hard it is toconduct a bias-free study, and sec-
ondly how easy it is to take the findings of a study and interpret the findings to
suit one’s purposes. Obtaining valid and reliable findings is so dependent on
the study population, the study design, and the study methodology. That being
said, what a scientist hopes to accomplish by his or her research is to provide a
greater sense ofclarity ofthe issuebased onthe data.What ascientist wants to
avoid is the distortion of the findings to suit a particular political position. The
data should speak for themselves and should be based on an objective (that is,
apolitical) premise. Of course, there are legitimate differences of opinion about
many issues, regardless of study findings. In particular, those studies that focus
on social and ethical issues, in which one could expect to see legitimate differ-
encesof opinion,often generate the mostintensedebate.
All too often, we have heard of examples of research studies being used to
provide evidence for one point of view or other. And, as history has shown,
there are many instances in which research findings are so clear and so
compelling yet policy decision making was based on a majority party’s politi-
cal position regardless of the evidence. The politicalization of science has a
long history and is not unique to one particular political party. At times, how-
ever, these political decisions can be harmful to society. More often than not
had policy been based on the evidence, diseases that could have been kept in
check or even have been eliminated ended up infecting large numbers of
people.