Brunswick Beacon, 07.04.24
NC’s Republican-controlled legislature tried to ban mask wearing in public even if you need it for health reasons. It’s the latest example of Republicans shoving their deadly agenda down your throat by forcing themselves between you and your doctor.
Republicans overrode Gov. Cooper’s veto of a bill imposing new restrictions on women seeking health care. It bans abortions after 12 weeks starting July 1.
Not satisfied with stripping women of rights their mothers and grandmothers had for 50 years, Republicans targeted everyone trying to protect their health and others’ by wearing masks. If your immune system is compromised because you’re being treated for cancer and your doctor tells you to wear a mask in public, Republicans tried to force you to stay indoors or risk contracting a fatal illness. If you have a communicable disease, Republicans tried to force you into quarantine or risk spreading it to your unsuspecting, defenseless neighbors.
Republicans’ anti-mask, anti-vaccine policies caused an estimated 461,000 unnecessary deaths from COVID. After vaccines became readily available, death rates in Republican counties soared to four times that of Democratic counties.
The deadly effect of Republican policies goes far beyond COVID. Of 25 states with the highest infant mortality rate, 18 voted for Trump. Because Republicans refuse to pass gun safety laws, the red state murder rate is 33% higher than in blue states, as it has been for 23 consecutive years. Red states like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama are America’s murder capitals. They’ve had the highest murder rates for 15 of the last 23 years, even after excluding the county with the largest city from red states, but not from blue states.
Studies show that Americans die younger in states with Republican policies, causing hundreds of thousands of needless deaths and giving America the lowest life expectancy among developed countries.
Are Republicans trying to get Americans killed, or are they just incompetent? In the end, what difference does it make?
Ryan Buck
Calabash