Margaret McCartney's blog: When it was announced that both the presidential candidates were allowing sight of medical information about them to be read and reported on by journalists, I was slightly perturbed. Sure, I could see that perhaps the knowledge that one had no outstanding concerns with their health might - might - have some kind of relevance to an election.

But not really. First of all, while we can say that we are fine "at the moment" who knows what may be around the corner? Not everyone has risk factors for the illnesses that they will later die of. Medical "check-ups" are seriously limited in their abilities to offer a prognosis of any value. In the case of a declaration of illness, disease or even risk factors for disease, how can an electorate fairly decide if this will affect the ability to hold office? Many illnesses or disabilities need nothing more than the correct type of support or treatment. The real problem with the declaration of some health issues is not so much the disability that this may or may not reveal, but the disability that the public may imagine.