Angelina Jolie Covers Time: What Effect Will Her Double Mastectomy Have on Women's Health?

"Jolie's brave example can make us all smarter and help keep us all healthier—but only if we take the right lessons from it," claims article

By Rebecca Macatee May 15, 2013 6:32 PMTags
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Angelina Jolie's preventive double mastectomy—and her decision to share it with the public—has educated and informed millions on what proactive options they can take in the name of good health.

On Friday, Brad Pitt's love graces the cover of Time, looking ethereal and pensive in a black-and-white profile shot. The magazine also calls to question what the "Angelina Effect" her elective surgery will have on other women.

Time rightfully points out that Jolie's decision to have surgery has put "genetic testing in the spotlight." (The 37-year-old actress tested positive for the "faulty" BRCA1 gene, indicating that her likelihood for developing breast or ovarian cancer was extremely high.)

And while a preview of the article acknowledges the influence the mom of six has on everything from parenting to pop culture, it also questions the "young science" that is genetic screening.

"Human beings are very good at worrying—it's what keeps us alive and out of harm's way. But we're also good at over-worrying, making irreversible decisions to reduce or avoid risks that don't really exist at all," the article states. "Jolie's brave example can make us all smarter and help keep us all healthier—but only if we take the right lessons from it."

The full "Angelina Effect" Time issue hits newsstands Friday.