Kristi Noem is only pro-life if we’re talking about her abstract fetus fetish, not when we’re talking about robust public health interventions to fight coronavirus and protect the children and adults right here in front of us.
So o.k., Kristi. When you wake up late from your long trip to Michigan with the My Pillow guy, maybe get serious about fighting coronavirus to protect the babies who may suffer and die due to the heightened risk of coronavirus for pregnant women:
The studies found that many hospitalized pregnant women who were infected with the virus did not have any symptoms. Among those who did have symptoms, however, between 16 percent and 30 percent required intensive care, and 6 percent to 8.5 percent required ventilators to help with breathing. Among the 703 cases described in the two reports, three of the women died.
Both studies found that pregnant women infected with the coronavirus experienced a higher rate of preterm deliveries than expected, and some had stillbirths. Earlier studies have also suggested a higher risk for preterm births, and a British study noted a population-wide uptick in stillbirths during the pandemic.
…“We now have data from three separate C.D.C. surveillance systems all suggesting that pregnant women may be at increased risk for severe disease from Covid-19,” Dr. Denise Jamieson, a member of the Covid-19 task force at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in an email [Roni Caryn Rabin, “Coronavirus May Increase Premature Births, Studies Suggest,” New York Times, 2020.09.17].
Don’t treat those premature births and stillbirths as inevitabilities, Kristi. Do something!
Dr. Neel Shah, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard University, said pregnant women should be prioritized for testing, and he called on employers to take extra measures to protect them from exposure to the virus while working.
“If there is one call for action, it is that employers need to take care of their pregnant people, especially if they’re getting close to term, and do everything possible to avoid them being exposed — allowing them to work virtually or giving the time and space they need,” Dr. Shah said [Rabin, 2020.09.17].
I know, Kristi—you’ve built a whole national reputation on resisting the notion that kids are susceptible to coronavirus and that the economy is more important than a few hundred thousand measly lives. But if you need a pivot out of our Trumpist denialism and back into public health sense, pregnant women provide your easy PR out. Protect moms, protect babies, be pro-life: read all the science, wear a mask, and fight coronavirus!
These frauds could give a damn about childbirth or abortion for that matter. These are all wedge issues designed to inflame fear and chaos and raise profits for themselves. There are so many things involved with this trump virus, and what’s to come from it, that will dog us for decades.
The very need for expanded Medicaid in this state is even more blatantly exposed, isn’t it? The lower income spectrum of our 880,000 some souls are the bigger risk of the virus and its long-term effects (many of which are yet unknown) hit them hardest. Joe and Jane Six-Pack making $25-30,000 are usually right borderline bankrupted by medical bills and the GOP is trying to get rid of making insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions. Oh, I forgot, Trump has had a brand new medical plan available for months now-in a couple weeks… Meanwhile, the state racks up thousands of dollars of interest on the Federal money Noem put in the ‘bank’. State tax revenues are far more than they were expected to be, too. That money in bank should go to the people!
The Roger Cornelius Memorial Cartoon by Marty Two Bulls.
https://www.gocomics.com/m2bulls/2020/09/17
Dead pregnant women, still births and premature births are just part of nature, doncha know. But at least they didn’t have abortions!!😳 😳 😳 😳