Reagan Administration Case Study

In the 1980’s the Reagan Administration was unable to actively combat AIDS. Especially since it had called for a 60 day freeze on any pending acts or laws in order to establish a new budget cut policy which would negatively affect many agencies, administrations and the public. This disabled agencies such as the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to meet the public’s demands. The 60 day freeze reduced the FDA’s funding allocated to research and produce of drugs. As a result of this the FDA was unable to appropriately fund AIDS research. Regardless of the many appeals made to the Reagan Administration, the FDA was continually denied of such resources.

For a period of time no acknowledgement of the AIDS epidemic was made by the government. In

In 1986 President Reagan stated that AIDS was: “one of the highest public health priorities.” (Page, S. 1986)

The FDA, just as other health agencies’ and health departments within other cities and states had, encouraged and worked with organisations to promote sex education and AIDS education. There was a public demand for AIDS treatment drugs and for access to unapproved drugs, as the FDA was unable to approve or market any kind of AIDS treatment drugs, the public believed that the FDA had good drugs but were not releasing them due to the administrations stronghold on them, the FDA actually did not have a drug available because of lack of funding to research it. (Richert. 2014.)

Frank Young, the Commissioner of the FDA through 1984 to 1989 publically challenged the regulations the Administration had placed them under. This was because of the Reagan Administration’s unwillingness to address the AIDS crisis publically and its reluctance to financially support AIDS research. He acknowledged the public’s desperation for the treatment drugs and felt that they should have access to unapproved drugs but simultaneously felt that the FDA had to do thorough research and understand the risks to an extent before releasing them. (Richert.

Everett Koop was asked to conduct research by the White House to write a report on AIDS. However he was prevented from reporting on it as his report mentioned ways to actively combat AIDS which the government did not approve of. Reagan did not mention AIDS again until 1986: “Reagan did not speak of AIDS again until February1986 when he instructed his Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, to report on the problem.” (Richert. 2014) The report included definitions of AIDS, ways to combat and to prevent it. It also promoted the use of contraception. It suggested that sex-education be taught in schools from Grade 3. It was acknowledged that the Reagan Administration took action in response to the epidemic. (U.S National