So close, and yet so far
We live in a world with enough food to go around, and yet it doesn’t reach millions who are starving. For nearly a billion others, obesity is a major health problem. Solutions exist that could help, but they’re unavailable to those who might benefit the most. Contraceptive technology has never been better, yet women around the world, including in countries such as the US, have trouble getting basic reproductive care. Effective, safe vaccines are available to prevent diseases that once harmed or killed many children, yet parents increasingly choose to withhold them. And a highly promising avenue of scientific investigation—the development of mRNA vaccines—is threatened by current US funding decisions. It’s deeply frustrating to have the means, but to lack the political will, to improve the health of so many people. The politics of healthcare have never been more fraught. The gap between what’s possible …
