On Globe Cancer Day, activists fighting cancer condemned the corporate-friendly mega-deal as a ‘death sentence.’
Cancer patients phase direct action demanding access to life-saving medicines.
Photo Credit: Public Citizen
Condemning the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a “death sentence,” two cancer patients last week staged a civil disobedience at the headquarters of the Big Pharma trade group that lobbied to consist of medical monopolies in the mega-deal.
“The TPP will certainly efficiently take some patients backwards in time to the dark ages of cancer treatment,” said Zahara Heckscher, a 51-year-old mother and author living along with advanced breast cancer that staged the direct action. “It will certainly stay away from also several people along with cancer and various other life-threatening illnesses from accessing the brand-new treatments they have to remain alive.”
On Globe Cancer Day last Thursday, Heckscher joined along with Hannah Lyon, that is described in a press statement as a “29-year-old from California that is in treatment for aggressive cervical cancer.” Wearing shirts that read, “I have actually cancer. No TPP death sentence,” both entered the Washington D.C., building that hosts the industry lobby group PhRMA, where they chanted, linked arms and refused to leave.
Surrounded by medical professionals and supporters, both women were eventually arrested by police, yet not prior to footage of their protest was captured. The video of the action, compiled by the watchdog group Public Citizen, Can easily be seen below.
“I have actually never ever spoken in public or engaged in civil disobedience before, yet I understand at a deeply personal degree the life and death stakes for several cancer patients if the TPP is approved,” Lyon said in a statement regarding the action. “Cancer patients do not have actually the luxury to wait 5 or eight years for access to affordable medicines while PhRMA establishes extended monopolies to go on to reap outrageous profits.”
The creative protest was among several that have actually been organized about the Globe opposing the mega-deal in between the United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, brand-new Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Global civil society and social movement teams have actually condemned the accord as a threat to people and the planet, including through its inclusion of secret corporate tribunals that enable multinationals to sue governments over loss of “future profits.”
The medical charity Doctors Free of Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned earlier this month that the TPP, negotiated in secret, “will certainly prolong pharmaceutical business monopolies and stay away from people from accessing life-saving medicines by blocking or delaying the availability of price-lowering generic drugs.”
“Additionally,” MSF continued, “the TPP would certainly dismantle public healthiness safeguards and pressure creating countries to modification their laws to integrate abusive intellectual property protections for pharmaceutical companies, making it harder for people — and organizations enjoy MSF that serve them — to purchase the affordable medicines they need.”
In an write-up published this week on Common Dreams, Heckscher urged Congress to reject the deal, which is set for a vote this spring or summer. “If ratified, the TPP would certainly lock in monopolies for certain brand-new medicines, biological medicines that guidance people enjoy me remain alive,” she wrote. “Monopolies enable drug companies to boost prices dramatically, and higher prices minimize access. This means that some people along with cancer will certainly die due to the fact that they can’t grab the medicine they need.”
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for Common Dreams, Sarah co-edited the book regarding Face: Military Resisters Transform Versus War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare.
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