Whoopi Goldberg, an actress, comedian and the moderator of the daytime talk show The View on ABC, irresponsibly suggested that anabolic steroids may have caused Lance Armstrong’s testicular cancer in 1996. Goldberg, who is known for her open-minded views on marijuana, was surprisingly quick to jump on the anti-steroid bandwagon and blame steroids for cancer.
“I don’t know but the question really is: Do the steroids cause cancer? That’s the question. Did [Lance Armstrong] get the cancer because of the steroids? That’s what we need to know,” Goldberg said.
“I have not read that,” Walters responded. “I think that’s scary to put out.”
“Well I think it’s a really great question. If he was doing it for the thousand years that they say he was doing it, it’s quite possible.”
“You have to be careful to suggest that steroids cause cancer,” Walters warned.
This type of steroid propaganda is not uncommon for people involved in ‘war on drugs’ or anti-doping movements. Bob Weiner, a former spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and a former spokesman for the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), made a similar statement a couple of years ago.
Weiner suggested that anabolic steroids may have caused Lance Armstrong’s testicular cancer during the University of Massachusetts Sports and Drugs Distinguished History Ken Feinberg Lecture on April 20, 2011:
“So he did truly save his life and then won six more Tours de France. But it may not be that simple… why did [Lance Armstrong] get testicular cancer in the first place at that young age… that’s also a symptom of steroid abuse. “
There has been no scientific evidence to suggest any link between anabolic steroid use and testicular cancer.
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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