Wonkbook: How Angelina Jolie’s moving essay about breast cancer may have backfired

By Carolyn Y. Johnson When Angelina Jolie published an essay in the New York Times about her decision in 2013 to get a double mastectomy, the essay quickly went viral. Jolie's frank and candid admission that she had inherited a "faulty" BRCA1 gene that increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer and struggled with what to …   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   (Washington Post illustration; Oli Scarff/Getty; iStock) By Carolyn Y. Johnson When Angelina Jolie published an essay in the New York Times about her decision in 2013 to get a double mastectomy, the essay quickly went viral. Jolie's frank and candid admission that she had inherited a "faulty" BRCA1 gene that increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer and struggled with what to do struck a chord with people. Jolie revealed that she had undergone a medical procedure rarely talked about openly, much less by A-list celebrities, and said she hoped her experience could help others. "Today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action," Jolie wrote. A new study published in the British Medical Journal found that thousands of additional women got tested for mutations in the breast cancer risk genes in the U.S. -- but probably not the right women. Read the rest on Wonkblog. Top policy tweets Come on economists, time to get serious about place-based policies: https://t.co/TmqAUFXQ6V (this week's column) — Ryan Avent (@ryanavent) December 15, 2016 It begins: Texas Gov. Greg Abott says on Fox News he'll reject a Trump border wall in Big Bend National Park. — Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 15, 2016 Now that they have a new Democratic governor in North Carolina, Republicans want to take away the governor's power. https://t.co/oHurgsgWYg — Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) December 15, 2016 ADVERTISEMENT   Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog Donald Trump’s ‘populism’ includes a huge tax cut for his kids By Matt O'Brien  •  Read more »   The unintended consequence of Angelina Jolie’s viral breast cancer essay More women got genetic testing after Angelina Jolie's mastectomy. But that wasn't necessarily a good thing. By Carolyn Y. Johnson  •  Read more »   What happens to the working class when millionaires and billionaires are in charge Researchers say it matters that Trump is assembling the wealthiest cabinet in modern American history By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   Federal Reserve raises interest rates for second time in a decade The increase was unanimous and modest, raising the Fed's key interest rate by a quarter point, from a range of 0.25 to 0.5 percent to a range of 0.5 to 0.75 percent. By Jim Tankersley  •  Read more »   Feds accuse former generic-drug executives of price fixing Two former generic drug executives are accused of colluding on prices. By Carolyn Y. Johnson  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Federal Insider Federal news and policy update, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071