Republicans to Cancer Research - Drop Dead

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Deb Schroer

Happy Wednesday Advocates

I would like to encourage comments and suggestions from you if you have time. If there is a special topic you’d like to see please let me know. Please use the comment button below. Some of the topics in work are funding for key medical research, rural healthcare, healthcare in prison and MASA (Make America Scientific Again)

Google Lists Anti Abortion Clinics on Searches for Abortion Services

Thank you to Rogan’s list.

Fake clinics that try to dissuade women from having abortions by delivering misinformation are often listed at the top of a Google search for abortion services. Here is a link to the NPR story.

According to a report from The Center for Digital Hate, this is because these clinics have spent millions on ads and bought key words that are most likely to come up in a search engine. Google’s advertising policies prohibit misrepresentation, and they claim to label whether or not the site actually provides abortions, but in many instances, people still end up at these fake clinics, rather than getting the help they need, which is especially dangerous in states where restrictive abortion laws only give a pregnant person a short amount of time to get an abortion. 

ACTION

Let’s contact Google–by postal mail 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway. Mountain View, CA 94043) or by phone (650) 253-0000, through the Google Ads portion of their website or on Twitter (@Google) and tell them they have a moral responsibility to stop listing these fake abortion clinic ads. Personally, I called and left a message at the Chicago office using the list of their offices here.

If you are a shareholder let them know that in your message and how disappointed you are in their disingenuous behavior that is opposed to the public interest.

Republican’s Appropriation Subcommittee Slashes Cancer Budgets

Cancer is the number 2 killer of people in the US yearly. Over 600,000 a year. Of those, lung cancer is the number one cancer killer at about 128,000 a year. Of those about 15% never smoked. I have a number of friends and family who have developed lung cancer and never smoked.

Most of the cancer research funding in the US is from the federal government. President Biden declared a Cancer Moonshot, an ambitious program to cut cancer deaths by 50% in the next 25 years.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, allocated $7.3 billion to The National Cancer Research Institute (NCI), a $408 million increase over the FY 2022 enacted level, including $216 million for the NCI component of the Cancer Moonshot.

Here is a link to the current FY 2024 Republican led House Appropriations Subcommittee recommendations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. If you search for National Cancer Institute you’ll find a recommended allocation of $7,104,159,000. That’s about an 8% reduction from last year. But wait, there’s more! Here is the NCI requested budget it has a proposed increase of about $2.4 billion for research using advanced and novel techniques and early detection programs and their total request is $9.988 billion. The NCI proposed budget is below.

That $7.1 billion proposed by the House subcommittee is 8% less than last year and 29% less than requested.

Let’s look at what Republicans plan to NOT fund.

1. Revolutionary new ideas to stop cancer

2. Early detection programs

3. Prevention programs.

Without those good ideas, we’ll never cut the cancer rate, the 2nd leading cause of death. Good bye new research and with 8% budget cuts some trials will likely have to be halted. Even if they restart, lab trials often have to begin all over from the start when there is disruption and these trials can take years. Apparently this just isn’t important….to them. But it is to me.

ACTION

Let’s contact our Congressional Representatives and Senators and let them know this is going on and to support the additional funding to cut cancer rates in half. Elected Officials contact info is in the Resource Section below.

Or use your cell phone and text SIGN PPLQRH to 50409 to send the message below.

I am your constituent and I am shocked to see that the Republican led House Appropriations Subcommittee that addresses Health, Labor and Education has proposed an 8% cut to cancer research. $7.1 billion. But that’s not the worst of it. The National Cancer Institute really needs $9.988 billion in order to build out prevention and early detection programs and to fund novel and innovative treatments so we can cut the cancer rate in half (Cancer Moonshot). I want you to disapprove the Republican recommendation and provide the amount that the National Cancer Institute really needs. Lives are at stake here and you can fix this.

RESOURCES

Find My Elected Officials

Contact the White House  https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Contact State and Federal Representatives

https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/

Important Healthcare Resources

League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit

Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare

Healthcare Advocacy Reading List

Organizations to Contact

National Nurses United Medicare4All

Physicians for a National Health Plan

Reproductive Health

NARAL - Pro Choice America

Planned Parenthood

Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.

United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.

Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.

If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org

Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do

Appeal a Healthcare Decision

Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill

Save Democracy

Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens

RESISTBOT

Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more

Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water Resistbot write up