Earlier this year, after sustained pressure from the U.S. media, a select team
of reporters was allowed limited access to John McCain's medical records at
forty-eight hours notice. The former naval pilot (bombed Cambodia in 1969), who
has had four bouts with cancer, allowed the reporters three hours to view his
1,173 page file, which only related to his medical history for the previous
eight years. Only one of the reporters, Sanjay Gupta, health correspondent for
CNN, had any previous medical knowledge.
The snapshot into the Republican presidential nominee's health records revealed
he enjoys good health for a septuagenarian, however the fact that the
72-year-old McCain will be the oldest first time President to be inaugurated if
his candidacy is successful, has yet again put his health front and centre as a
campaign topic particularly with his selection of the combative, yet wholly
inexperienced, Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin as vice-presidential candidate.
Now a group of doctors, who support the candidacy of McCain's rival Sen. Barack
Obama, have called on the Arizona senator to release his full medical records
to the public saying the American people require full accountability before
they make their decision on Election Day.
Though showing no sign of any fitness concerns having set a blistering pace on
the campaign trail, the doughty Arizona senator has had a history of health
problems.
"John McCain is a 72 year old man with recurrent melanoma, hyperlipidemia,
degenerative joint disease, and recurrent difficulty with certain efforts at
recall", a letter to Doctors For Obama states.
"These are the limited facts the American people have had access to. Over 1000
pages of medical records were shown to selected journalists for 3 hours with
less than 48 hours of notice."
Pointing out that a serious repetition of previous medical disorders could
seriously affect his presidency even the possibility of it resulting in his
death, the letter continues.
....A recurrence of metastatic malignant melanoma would essentially destroy
John McCain's capacity as the Chief Executive, and the American People have yet
to receive a full accounting of the facts regarding his actuarial
risk..[source]
While the thought of any President dying in office is an eventuality no one
would wish to contemplate, does the letter touch on an important and perhaps
obvious right of American voters -- to have all the relevant information at
their disposal before a candidate runs for the highest office in the land?
Should candidates be required by law to release health records or should
privacy concerns prevail?
The point is made by the doctors that the Army scrupulously vets the health of
its members prior to engaging them, why shouldn't the same standards be applied
to the person seeking the presidency?
However privacy advocates would perhaps say that the president is entitled to
as much privacy in his personal life as are ordinary Americans.
While the debate begins to make its mark, it should be noted that the question
of disclosure of candidates who have suffered bad health in the past is not
limited to the Republicans though. Democratic Vice-Presidential running mate
Joe Biden, who is a survivor from brain surgery to relieve a life-threatening
aneurysm in 1988, has thus far elected not to release his medical records.
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