Breast-Cancer Activists Call for More Science, Less Pink

With the end of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The New York Times looks at the backlash among some women’s health groups against October’s plethora of pink-hued cause-marketing efforts and the growing call for campaigns that focus on medical research.

Critics say “pink” efforts, largely associated with promoting screening and early detection, have become a feel-good exercise that has not significantly curbed the disease or advanced the fight for a cure, and offers little to women battling later stages of the disease. “A lot of us are done with awareness. We want action,” said Karuna Jaggar, the executive director of activist group Breast Cancer Action.

The National Breast Cancer Coalition, an umbrella organization of cancer groups, launched a campaign in early October called Breast Cancer Deadline 2020. The project has a research component that involves working with scientists and funding agencies and a goal to develop more effective prevention and treatment measures within five years.