The Women Who Transformed Breast Cancer

Lessons from Breast Cancer Advocacy: A Blueprint for Women’s Health Reform

How Breast Cancer Activism Transformed Healthcare

For decades, breast cancer was a silent disease—until women refused to accept the status quo. They fought for funding, demanded better research, and reshaped policy to transform breast cancer from an ignored issue to a global health priority.

Their activism revolutionized how diseases are treated, funded, and prioritized—and today, we need that same playbook for the rest of women’s health.

The Women Who Refused to Stay Silent

🚨 Mary Lasker (1940s-1970s): The Force Behind the “War on Cancer”
After watching a loved one struggle with cancer, Mary Lasker was shocked to learn there was virtually no federal funding for cancer research. Her response? She lobbied Congress, raised millions, and ultimately influenced Nixon to declare the “War on Cancer” in 1971.

🚨 Betty Ford & Shirley Temple Black (1970s): Making Breast Cancer Public
In an era when breast cancer was rarely spoken about, First Lady Betty Ford publicly shared her diagnosis and mastectomy in 1974. Weeks later, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller’s wife, Happy Rockefeller, did the same. Their openness shattered stigma and led to a surge in breast cancer screenings.

🚨 Rose Kushner (1970s-1980s): Challenging the Medical Establishment
A journalist and breast cancer survivor, Rose Kushner led the fight against radical mastectomies—which were often performed without patient consent. She advocated for more conservative treatments and patient choice, shaping modern breast cancer care.

🚨 Fran Visco & The National Breast Cancer Coalition (1990s-Present): The Political Power Move
By the early 1990s, grassroots activism had built momentum—but political power was missing. Enter Fran Visco, a breast cancer survivor and lawyer who founded The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC).

• NBCC pushed for $300M in new research funding and won the first Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program—a model now used in other disease funding efforts.

• They trained thousands of advocates through Project LEAD, empowering survivors to influence policy and research decisions.

What Breast Cancer Advocates Got Right—and Why We Need the Same Strategy Today

Breast cancer advocacy proved that awareness alone isn’t enough. Real change happens when financial, political, and corporate power align with patient needs.

✔️ They Made It Personal – Women shared their stories publicly, breaking stigma and making breast cancer a national conversation.

✔️ They Didn’t Just Raise Awareness—They Changed the System – From securing billions in research dollars to influencing treatment guidelines, they pushed for real outcomes.

✔️ They Mobilized Government & Business – Activists didn’t just fight for policy change—they got corporations, Congress, and the military involved in funding solutions.

✔️ They Pushed for Patient-Centered Care – Advocacy forced the medical system to listen to patients, giving women real choices in their treatment.

Where Women’s Health is Still Failing

Despite these successes, most of women’s health remains where breast cancer was in the 1970s—underfunded, under-researched, and deprioritized.

🚨 Menopause treatments lack proper research and funding.
🚨 Autoimmune diseases overwhelmingly affect women, yet receive little investment.
🚨 Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of women, but male-focused research dominates.
🚨 Insurance still denies coverage for essential women’s health procedures.

Applying the Breast Cancer Playbook to Women’s Health Today

If we want to see real change across women’s health, we must, as a united front:

✅ Push for dedicated research funding across ALL women’s health issues.
✅ Build a visible, unifying movement (like the pink ribbon).
✅ Hold policymakers accountable for funding and equitable care.
✅ Engage corporate partners in funding innovation and solutions.

Women changed the course of breast cancer care. Now it’s time to do the same for the rest of women’s health.

Let’s Talk

🚀 No more waiting. No more small changes. It’s time to apply what we know works.

👇 Which women’s health issue do you think needs a movement like this? Drop a comment.

Sources

Osuch, J. R., Silk, K., Price, C., Barlow, J., Miller, K., Hernick, A., & Fonfa, A. (2012). A historical perspective on breast cancer activism in the United States: from education and support to partnership in scientific research. Journal of women's health (2002), 21(3), 355–362. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2011.2862

The Cancer History Project. How 1960s activism shaped the movement that resulted in the DOD breast cancer program 10, September 2021.