Sotomayor’s diabetes prompts debate
May 15th, 2009Sam Stein writes in the Huffington Post that questions about Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who is among the frontrunners for a Supreme Court nomination, have sparked a broader debate about the appropriateness of vetting potential political nominees for medical conditions. Sotomayor has Type One diabetes.
“It is obligatory [to look at this]” said Jeffrey Toobin, a legal analyst for CNN and author of “The Nine: Inside The Secret World of the Supreme Court.” “The issue of duration of service for a Supreme Court nominee is critical to any president, and thus health and medical issues are very much at the forefront of their considerations… It would be irresponsible for any president not to make the health of the nominee a major subject of concern, because presidents want decades of service from their nominees.”
Stein says few, if any, in the medical profession view Sotomayor’s diabetes as a “major disqualifier,” but says many experts say “there is a stigma attached to Type One diabetes that doesn’t exist with other conditions.” Experts say advances in diabetes care over the past two decades have dramatically improved prospects for quality of life and longevity, although complications can be significant.
Earlier post here.
See also:
Analyzing Jeff Rosen’s article about Sotomayor in the New Republic, the Wonkette website describes Sotomayor as “an annoying retard.”
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on Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 8:42 am and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, Obama administration, chronic illness, diabetes, language, law, politics, stigma.
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May 26th, 2009 at 10:33 am
My son, Phil, started a cycling team years ago with all team members having Type 1 diabetes(teamtype1.org). These men and women have cycled across the U.S. three times in five days, raced in grueling triathlons, raced in the Tour of California — and are smart enough to know to eat right, exercise, and use the newest technologies.
My son was diagnosed with Type 1 at 7 months of age. He is 27 years old now and the picture of health. Type 1 diabetes has never been an impediment.
Anyone who doubts the competence of Ms. Sotomayor due to her diabetes is an uninformed person. We should then question the competence of people who eat too much, never exercise, or smoke, as both obesity and smoking are proven to shorten lives.
May 26th, 2009 at 8:17 am
What a wonderful role model for all children and persons with type 1 diabetes. It’s so very exciting that President Obama is announcing his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor today. It will be fascinating to watch the confirmation hearings.
May 20th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Irrespective of her poltical views, Judge Sonia Sotomayor should under no circumstances have to suffer the discrimination of being required to defend her diabetes.
As a person who has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 20 years, I can attest to the fact that not only are diabetics often more healthy than the average slob out there (by virtue of a better diet and a better exercise routine), but that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish.
In some cases we have advantages that the average person does not have – one simple example is that we do not experience the same levels of jetlag that others do, as we control our metabolism manually.
I second – Way to go Sonia Sotomayor!!!!!
May 17th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Treating Sonia Sotomayor’s diabetes as a strike against her nomination to the Supreme court is both an ignorant and bigoted view of her qualifications. If anything, it should be considered as a testament to her perseverance and determination to achieve her goals, which tells me that regardless of the any other pressures (political, pubic opinion or her peers on the bench), she is one who has proven that she makes decisions based on her belief and knowledge of what is right without being swayed by other factors.
Way to go Sonia Sotomayor!!!!!