Of all the issues defining the U.S. Senate race between Republican Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman, Fetterman’s health should rank close to last. Even so, it has loomed large in an increasingly tight contest for a potentially pivotal U.S. Senate seat. Fetterman can diminish the influence of this distracting side-issue by releasing his medical records now and allowing reporters to question his physician.
In September, a Post-Gazette editorial called on both U.S. Senate nominees to release their medical records. Oz, 62, released his two days later, indicating he was in good health. Fetterman, 53, who suffered a life-threatening stroke in May, has not released his.
As a matter of transparency, all candidates for a major political office should release their medical records, disclosing conditions that might affect their ability to serve. Medical records are not a perfect indicator of health, but they are more reliable than biased and self-serving assessments by the candidates themselves.
