President Biden Announces ‘Cancer Moonshot’ Initiative
On Mon., President Biden traveled to Boston to announce his ‘Cancer Moonshot’ initiative aimed at cutting the cancer death rate by half over the next 25 years.
Facts
- On Mon., President Biden traveled to Boston to announce his ‘Cancer Moonshot’ initiative aimed at cutting the cancer death rate by half over the next 25 years.
- The announcement took place during a speech at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on the 60th anniversary of Kennedy’s ‘moonshot’ speech that launched the U.S. into the era of space travel.
- Biden further announced the appointment of Dr. Renee Wegrzyn as the director of Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. The agency was created in March to develop biomedical technologies.
- The announcement is particularly meaningful for Biden. In 2015, the president lost his son, Beau Biden, at the age of 46 to glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
- Biden began his work on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative during his time as Vice President to Barack Obama. He also founded the Biden Cancer Initiative after his term as vice president.
- To bolster the initiative, on Mon., President Biden signed an executive order to boost biotechnology and biomanufacturing with the intent to position the U.S. at the forefront of cancer research.
Sources: WCVB, New York Times, Daily Mail, and NBC.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Boston Globe. Following in the bipartisan footsteps of Richard Nixon and giving a nod to JFK, President Biden is launching the Cancer Moonshot initiative to restore America’s faith and reinvigorate the efforts in the fight against this horrific disease. The full strength of America’s public-private institutions will turbocharge research to end cancer once and for all.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Medium. The fight against cancer has moved from a biomedical challenge to a social, economic, and political blight. The ‘cancer industrial complex’ must take the drive for shameless profit out of a vital public good. There is an especially close link between the profit of the cancer treatment industry and the suffering of non-white populations. Any ‘moonshot’ must prioritize healthcare equality over revenue.
