Letter to the Editor: It is a shame that Barbara Ehrenreich did not take the time to look beyond the "Pink Kitsch" before writing her article on the breast cancer movement in the November issue of Harper’s. She would have found that many activists are constantly challenging the status quo of "slash, burn, and poison". Its raison d'etre is to empower women to make informed decisions about their treatment options. Not only have we won more governmental funding for research (from $90 million in 1993 to $700,000 million in 2000), but we have have insisted on being part of the decision-making process on how that money is spent. I wonder if Ehrenreich knows that many breast cancer advocates and organizations are questioning the effectiveness of mammography. Or if she is aware of the widespread opposition among activists of the use of tamoxifen to “prevent breast cancer”. Has she heard about the role we played in explaining the problems of genetic testing? Does she know that we successfully lobbied for a law which will provide funds (matched on a state level) for treating poor women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer by the Center for Disease Control's free screening program. Does she understand that one of our top priorities is getting more funding for research into the connection between the environment and breast cancer? Most informed advocates know that a big part of the supposed rise in breast cancer incidence that Ehrenreich points to, is not real but due to an increase in the use of mammography. The drop in the mortality rate is not as small as she claims. From 1990-95 the mortality rate for white women has decreased by 2% a year and from 1995-98 it has decreased by 3.6% a year- over a 20% drop in 8 years. Unfortunately, African-American women mortality rates have not decreased (although they have stopped increasing) and they remain about 20% higher than in white women. Instead of being a sideline critic, I sincerely hope that Ehrenreich will join with us in setting and advancing the goals of the breast cancer advocacy movement. Helen Schiff Breast Cancer Advocate, NYC Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.