Republicans like to claim they are the Pro-Life party. But are they really?
It depends on how you define it and whose life you are
talking about. Evangelicals usually mean anti-abortion when they use the term
Pro-Life. But in the most complete sense of the word it means to honor and
respect human life from conception to natural death.
I’m going to leave the conception to birth controversy
for now and look at the birth to death period of human life. How do Republican
policies reflect honor and respect for human life during that phase? And I’m
going to apply it to all Americans – after all they want to prevent abortions
for all Americans – rich or poor, White or Black.
In his March 17, 2023 substack post Thom Hartmann asks
if there is any area where Republicans put human life ahead of money, and admits he
can’t find a single one. He lists many policy areas in which lives are
sacrificed for profit:
·
Pollution kills people. Republicans fight
every regulation for clean air and water because it costs big business money
(and the wealthy can afford to live away from their factories). In Trump’s
first regime he rolled back over 100 environmental regulations. In Trump 2 Elon
Musk is gutting the EPA.
·
Homelessness kills people.
Republicans are opposed to any of their tax money going to shelter homeless
people. They just want them to stay away from their part of the city so they don’t
have to see them.
·
Guns kill people and are now the
leading cause of child deaths. Republicans are known for their opposition to
any gun restrictions.
·
Hunger kills children. Republicans
are opposed to programs that provide school lunches. The budget they are
working on now will likely eliminate or drastically cut the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which assists low-income families with their
grocery budget.
·
Suicide kills more gay men than AIDS
and kills 4x more queer children than cis children. Republicans persecute gay
and trans people when what they need is more understanding and support.
·
Cancer kills people. Republicans
fight to keep known carcinogen pesticides and additives in our food. Trump’s
new appointee in the EPA to oversee approval for chemicals, Lynn Dekleva, was a
Dupont lobbyist who fought against regulation of formaldehyde.
·
Infections kill people, especially
children and the elderly. Republicans oppose mandatory vaccinations.
Anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now Secretary of Health and Human Services
which oversees CDCP, FDA, Medicare and Medicaid. An unvaccinated child died of measles in
Texas last week, the first in a decade.
·
Poverty kills people. Republicans
consistently oppose raising minimum wage and other labor regulations that
improve the lives of workers.
·
Lack of health insurance kills
people. Republicans are strongly opposed to increasing coverage of Medicare and
Medicaid and are about to slash their coverage in this month’s budget.
·
Premature birth kills babies.
Republicans fight any proposal to provide housing, food or medical care to
pregnant women.
·
Not being part of a union kills 54%
more workers. Republicans fight unions and the right to unionize.
·
Climate change is killing people.
Republicans won’t even admit it exists.
Wherever saving lives costs money the Republicans will
fight it.
Hartmann concludes that Republicans are not the Party
of Life. They are the Party of Death.
Source:
https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-gop-claims-to-be-the-party-of
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