Opinion | Should Candidates Be Transparent About Their Health? - The New York Times

To the Editor:

Re “Candidates Must Disclose Medical Issues,” by Lawrence K. Altman (Opinion impermanent essay, Sept. 30):

Dr. Altman correctly calls for the afloat disclosure of aesculapian issues by large candidates, particularly presidential. He has championed this origin for years, but his dependable has gone unheeded.

The astir celebrated campaigner wellness cover-up was J.F.K.’s adrenal insufficiency, Addison’s disease. But John McCain’s recurrent melanoma, Bill Bradley’s atrial fibrillation, Joe Biden’s cerebral aneurysm successful his 1988 run and Bernie Sanders’s important coronary disease requiring a stent were each either downplayed oregon denied.

The astir egregious illustration of wellness misrepresentation was successful 1992, erstwhile Paul Tsongas and his physicians declared helium was cured of his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma erstwhile helium was not. If helium had been elected president alternatively than Bill Clinton, helium would person required ongoing crab treatments portion successful office, which would person compromised his quality to fulfill his duties. He died connected Jan. 18, 1997.

With the likelihood of 1 oregon much candidates implicit 75 moving for president successful 2024, the lawsuit for afloat aesculapian disclosure is much compelling than ever. The state would beryllium good served to retrieve the proposal fixed by William Safire successful 1987, when helium wrote, “The president’s assemblage is not wholly his own; that is wherefore we spell to specified lengths to support it.”

Kevin R. Loughlin
Boston
The writer is simply a retired urologic surgeon and a prof emeritus astatine Harvard Medical School.

To the Editor:

I would similar to respectfully disagree that candidates beryllium their voters afloat aesculapian transparency. Confidentiality of aesculapian records exists for bully reason, and to propulsion it distant — citing disorder implicit John Fetterman’s wellness successful the Pennsylvania Senate run — is the incorrect approach.

For example: Does a pistillate campaigner beryllium it to voters to uncover whether she has ever had an abortion? Some would reason yes, she should. I would reason that it’s nary of the voters’ business.

What other should a campaigner reveal? Therapist’s notes? Past substance use?

A real-life illustration is Thomas Eagleton, who was tapped to beryllium George McGovern’s moving mate successful 1972 until it was revealed that helium had undergone electroshock therapy for slump 12 years earlier. Because of this, helium was dropped from the ticket.

In the U.S., we are highly fortunate to person the rights we have, including a close to privacy. We should not beryllium looking for ways to spot distant astatine these rights.

Gregory Fedynyshyn
Malden, Mass.

Revised Drone Rules

To the Editor:

Re “Rules connected Counterterrorism Drone Strikes, Eased by Trump, Are Tightened by Biden” (news article, Oct. 8):

Are we expected to beryllium assured that the United States is present acting ethically, legally and judiciously with President Biden’s revised drone assassination policy?

Our clandestine sidesplitting of violent leaders extracurricular accepted warfare zones lone provokes greater hazard for American citizens and soul-searching trauma for drone operators thousands of miles way. It profoundly stains our ain consciousness of nationalist righteousness.

This is not a argumentation that needs to beryllium reformed. It’s a argumentation that should beryllium abandoned for ethical, tactical and applicable reasons.

Dave Pasinski
Fayetteville, N.Y.

Living successful Political Fear

To the Editor:

Re “Lawmakers Fearing the Worst arsenic Intimidation Tactics Grow” (front page, Oct. 2):

The appalling acrimony and threats directed against duly elected representatives person a chilling trickle-down effect to citizens arsenic well. I precocious received what I considered a banal tract motion from the League of Women Voters. One broadside states, “Vote — Our Democracy Depends connected It,” and the other, “Vote 411 — Election Information You Need.”

In different predetermination years, I would person placed it connected my tract without reasoning twice. But aft the Jan. 6 insurrection, I’m hesitant. Even though I unrecorded successful a mostly progressive, blue-voting Westchester community, I cognize that galore of my neighbors clasp different governmental beliefs. There are a astonishing fig of “Blue Lives Matter” banners and “1776” flags successful my neighborhood, which marque maine wonderment however galore of these neighbors uncertainty the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

I interest that displaying a connection that our ideology depends connected voting would beryllium much of a reddish emblem than a civic reminder.

And I americium ashamed that successful our existent fractious, and dangerously degraded, governmental climate, my fearfulness volition support maine from exercising my governmental beliefs.

Merri Rosenberg
Ardsley, N.Y.

Preparing for Future Pandemics

To the Editor:

Re “Unprepared for Covid and Monkeypox. And the Next Outbreak, Too” (news analysis, Oct. 1):

Apoorva Mandavilli highlights an important contented erstwhile she writes that the United States “remains wholly unprepared to combat caller pathogens.”

Governments bash request to beryllium acceptable for aboriginal pandemics erstwhile they hit, but their precedence indispensable beryllium preventing them successful the archetypal place. We cognize that astir infectious diseases tin beryllium traced to pathogen transmission betwixt wildlife and people, peculiarly successful our progressively degraded and exploited earthy world.

Governments crossed the globe indispensable prioritize efforts to trim the risks of aboriginal pathogen spillovers, including via commercialized and astatine wildlife markets.

A captious archetypal measurement is recognizing the intrinsic links betwixt the wellness of humans, animals and the ecosystem, and acknowledging the foundational value of an intact and functioning situation to our well-being.

A caller planetary pact oregon statement tin assistance bring governments unneurotic to catalyze needed change. With respective 100 1000 yet undiscovered viruses successful wildlife that tin perchance infect humans, this is not the clip to disregard the subject and debar action.

The adage that “an ounce of prevention is worthy a lb of cure” is present truer than ever.

Susan Lieberman
Chris Walzer
Dr. Lieberman is the vice president for planetary argumentation astatine the Wildlife Conservation Society. Dr. Walzer is its enforcement manager for health.

How Fossil Fuel Donations Sway Climate Politics

To the Editor:

Re “Republicans Talk About Rebuilding, but Not the Cause of Climate Change” (news article, Oct. 5):

Large governmental contributions from fossil substance interests are blocking national enactment against clime alteration adjacent successful Florida, 1 of the areas astir susceptible to hurricanes. Its vulnerability is fueled by warmer oceans on with tempest surges worsened by rising seas and downpours accrued by a warmer ambiance that holds much moisture.

The United States could go the satellite person successful battling clime change, inspiring and helping different countries to bash much portion creating millions of jobs. Incredibly, Florida’s Republican politician and 2 senators person voted against enactment to mitigate clime change.

Why? “If you’re from Florida, you should beryllium starring connected clime and biology policy, and Republicans are inactive reticent to bash that due to the fact that they’re disquieted astir superior politics,” Carlos Curbelo, a erstwhile Republican congressman from South Florida, is quoted arsenic saying.

That is, Republicans who stray from the fossil substance enactment volition look a superior hostile good funded by fossil substance interests.

Public backing of predetermination campaigns indispensable regenerate large contributions if we privation our ideology to halt being distorted. Indeed, if we privation to safeguard our planet.

Richard Barsanti
Western Springs, Ill.