cies of newly elected president Ronald Reagan be-
cause of his strong anti-feminist, anti-gay, and anti-
abortion positions. His confirmation was bitterly
opposed by the American Medical Association
(AMA), the American Public Health Association
(APHA), and pro-choice and gay-rights groups. Few
believed his promise not to impose his personal val-
ues on the public. However, once confirmed, he
proved controversial to the Right as well as to the
Left: In 1982, resisting political pressure from to-
bacco lobbyists and the White House, Koop began
an anti-smoking campaign. He attributed 30 per-
cent of all cancer deaths to smoking and advocated a
“smoke-free society.”
Few people knew anything about acquired immu-
nodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the early 1980’s.
By 1985, over ten thousand Americans, mostly ho-
mosexual men or intravenous drug users, were dy-
ing of the disease. The White House maintained a
policy of silence about the disease for almost six
years, in part because some conservative extremists
believed AIDS was God’s punishment for immorality
and in part because the president was not comfort-
able speaking about sexually transmitted diseases in
public. However, public pressure finally forced Rea-
gan to order the surgeon general to prepare a report
on the epidemic.
In 1986, after interviewing medical experts, hos-
pitalized AIDS patients, and gay and lesbian leaders,
Koop released his candid report on the dangers of568 Koop, C. Everett The Eighties in America
U.S. surgeon general C. Everett Koop answers questions about the health effects of smoking during a press conference on May 16, 1988.
(AP/Wide World Photos)