I
n
early
March,
Michigan
Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer declared a state
of emergency in Michigan. Citizens
are harboring unease and fear about the
coronavirus pandemic. In an effort to flatten
the curve, Whitmer enacted mandatory
self-quarantine and social distancing for all
people with nonessential jobs to try and limit
the spread of the coronavirus. Since Gov.
Whitmer’s order, Michigan has experienced
10,791 confirmed cases of the virus and 417
deaths as of April 2. While these numbers are
substantial, it could have been much worse if
the Michigan state government didn’t begin
enacting these emergency measures to slow
the spread of the virus.
For good reason, state and federal
governments have assumed the responsibility
of overseeing public health and safety as
the dangers of the pandemic affect our
country. Similar precautionary emergency
measures are being taken in other states as
well, attesting to just how dangerous the
virus is and just how important our response
to it is. From my position of privilege, I have
thought about how effectively we could
address our climate emergency if we took
the same prompt and drastic action. One
cannot deny that global climate change is a
risk to all people just as a pandemic is a risk
to all people. Therefore, one should trust
that drastic measures could lift mankind
out of the climate crisis just as these drastic
measures are working to lift us out of the
coronavirus crisis.
In upholding the law of the land, the
United States Congress has recognized
the severity of this pandemic. With limited
internal gridlock, it has managed to pass
legislation that addresses the drastic financial
needs of this emergency. As a result, direct
payments of $1,200 will initially be made to
taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 per
year and overall unemployment benefits will
grow substantially. It is commendable that
our government is addressing the economic
needs of the people who face massive
upheaval as a result of unemployment. At the
same time, I trust that if we all considered
the climate emergency to be as urgent of an
emergency as this pandemic, a provisional
economic subsidy would, in fact, be feasible
for our government and therefore not an
insurmountable task.
Some people are reluctant to see the
benefits of such emergency measures due to
the compromises that they bring about for
other circles of society, such as education,
socialization and public security. Students
everywhere are facing a sudden change
in their academic landscape, with some
institutions transitioning completely to
online forms and some experiencing an
abrupt pause altogether. As people continue
to distance themselves from those they
previously interacted with often, social
media has become a necessary tool to
socialize and maintain connection with
others. In an effort to slow the spread of the
virus nationwide and internationally, travel
by way of any vehicle has been discouraged
altogether until it becomes safer to gather
in masses. While people are adapting and
coping with these compromises, we still can’t
ignore the fact that they are discomforting
and inconvenient. For some, this is enough
to argue that emergency measures should
not be so restrictive or should not be taken,
despite the obvious emergency.
While it has become uncomfortable to
make these economic, social and educational
changes, this doesn’t justify ignoring the
danger of the pandemic. In his daily news
conference, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
emphasized that he intends to prioritize
saving lives over restarting the economy.
Cuomo said, “If you ask the American people
to choose between public health and the
economy, then it’s no contest. No American
is going to say, ‘accelerate the economy at the
cost of human life.’ Because no American is
going to say how much a life is worth.” None
of us want to make these drastic adjustments
to our lifestyles, but we are accepting that this
is what we need to do for the greater good and
for public health. Just as we accept that this is
what needs to be done to persist through the
pandemic, we should accept that we cannot
ignore the emergency of climate change any
I
’m sure I’m not alone in feeling
that it’s been difficult to focus
on anything other than the
coronavirus pandemic for the past
two weeks. As much as I try to keep
motivated, it’s almost impossible to
stay present during a dragging Zoom
lecture or a dense reading. My mind
wanders and questions what these
minor endeavors mean in the face of a
worldwide crisis. Even my usual litany
of distractions can’t offer refuge, with
Twitter updating me on the death
toll and Facebook bombarding me
with coronavirus memes. For some,
impacts have been far more severe
than lack of motivation — they have
lost jobs, homes, business and even
loved ones to the pandemic.
The most radical change for many
of us is being abruptly forced into
stagnancy. But just because our lives
have effectively been halted does not
mean the world has come to a standstill.
The Democratic nomination process
marches
on
with
frontrunner
Joe
Biden
notably absent, the worst locust plague
in decades is swarming in East Africa
and the oil price war between Russia
and Saudi Arabia continues. Events that
would
typically
populate
headlines
have
become secondary to the coronavirus
coverage. Clearly, COVID-19 has
consumed our lives and our news
cycle the past several weeks — and it’s
about to do the same to our health care
system.
The situation in Italy provides a
sobering glimpse of what could be in
store
for
the
United
States
in
the
coming
days. Hospitals are overwhelmed,
medical equipment is limited and
medical staff are being overworked.
This devastating example may soon be
our
reality,
with
the
U.S.
ranking
first
in
the
world
for
COVID-19
cases,
a
number
which will only continue to grow.
Cases double every three days, a figure
which is prompting hospitals to find
as many beds as they can to prepare
for an onslaught of critical patients.
The 74,000 intensive care unit beds
that operated in 2018 are insufficient
to handle the coming crisis. And just
as the world has not stopped turning,
medical issues unrelated to COVID-19
have
not
ceased.
Cardiac
arrests,
cancer
and childbirth will not simply yield to
the viral event, and our medical system
cannot divert all resources to fighting
the virus without neglecting the needs
of millions of Americans.
Overwhelmed
health
care
infrastructure is not the only thing
threatening America’s health — with
the country focused on COVID-19,
players with ulterior motives are
presented an opportunity to discreetly
alter health care for the worse. As
difficult as it may be, we must remain
vigilant and motivated in refusing to
allow those in power to take advantage
of this crisis by reducing health care
accessibility for marginalized people.
We cannot forget, even as we face a
public health crisis, that health care is a
human right we must always fight to
protect.
Just as many states, including
Michigan, have ordered citizens to
avoid
all
nonessential
social
interaction,
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams
has urged that all “nonessential
elective procedures” be canceled or
delayed
during
the
COVID-19
outbreak.
However, typifying all non-urgent
procedures as “elective” is a dangerous
move for health care rights after the
crisis. The first thing that comes to
mind for many people when they
think of an “elective” procedure are
those that are medically unnecessary,
such as cosmetic plastic surgery. But
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services’
list
of
postponable
procedures
includes colonoscopies and other
endoscopies,
cataract
surgery
and
even
low-risk
cancer
surgeries,
all
of
which
are
rarely considered “unnecessary.”
One supposedly “nonessential”
branch of medical care will likely
get little mention by the Trump
Administration — gender-affirming
surgeries for transgender and non-
gender conforming individuals. The
pandemic has shed light on how these
necessary
procedures
are
still
considered
“elective”
by
many
practitioners,
policy-
makers and medical institutions.
Even in normal circumstances, these
marginalized individuals often have
their
health
needs
invalidated
and
their
procedures significantly postponed
— sometimes for years — with
devastating consequences. For trans
patients
that
are
already
fighting
to
have
their procedures considered medically
necessary, allowing those in power to
conflate gender-related surgeries as
“elective” could present a dangerous
blow to trans health rights. We need
to make it absolutely clear that the
term
“nonessential”
only
applies
within
the limits of this crisis. And while we
can acknowledge that delaying these
procedures is a reasonable measure
given the circumstances, we should
also hold space for the anger and
disappointment felt by those impacted
and provide extra support during
this difficult time. Most importantly,
we must remain dedicated to
advocating for these procedures to
be considered essential after the crisis
is over; they must be attended to in a
timely manner, covered by public or
private insurance and treated as valid
by health care providers and systems.
Another
already
stigmatized
medical issue exacerbated by the
pandemic
is
abortion
services.
Already,
state officials in Ohio and Texas have
capitalized on this crisis and the
“nonessential” mandate to further
their anti-choice agenda. They claim
to act under the initiative to preserve
medical resources for COVID-19 care,
but their true motives are incredibly
transparent given their recent efforts
to severely limit and penalize the right
to choose. Their categorization of
abortions as nonessential goes directly
against a recent statement by the
American College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists which deems
abortion “an essential component
of comprehensive health care,” one
which must be maintained during this
crisis. Moreover, these procedures use
relatively few medical resources and
are inherently time-sensitive. For now,
Planned Parenthood is fighting back
against these dangerous mandates.
Unfortunately, Ohio and Texas are
just two of several states which have
been relentlessly chipping away at
women’s rights, and more states may
follow their example in the future. As
such, we must be prepared to continue
supporting Planned Parenthood and
other abortion providers throughout
the duration of the crisis, ensuring
women have access to essential health
care services and making it clear to
lawmakers that their efforts to take
advantage
of
a
crisis
to
diminish
human
rights
have
not
gone
unnoticed,
nor
will
they continue without a fight.
Facing the reality of a global health
crisis can certainly make finding
motivation difficult, but even as we
are socially isolated, our interest in the
common good can bring us together.
Although
we
are
physically
apart,
we
can
stand in solidarity for the right to health
care.
The
forces
working
against
human
rights have not yielded to this crisis —
in fact, many have found increased
mobility as the global community
is focused elsewhere. We, too, must
mobilize, fighting against those who
would take advantage of the crisis and
working
to
fix
the
issues
revealed
by
this
pandemic. The world has not stopped
moving forward — neither should we.
4 — Friday, April 3, 2020
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Alanna Berger
Zack Blumberg
Brittany Bowman
Emily Considine
Jess D’Agostino
Jenny Gurung
Cheryn Hong
Krystal Hur
Ethan Kessler
Zoe Phillips
Mary Rolfes
Michael Russo
Timothy Spurlin
Miles Stephenson
Joel Weiner
Erin White
ERIN WHITE
Managing Editor
Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.
ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Editor in Chief
EMILY
CONSIDINE
AND
MILES
STEPHENSON
Editorial Page Editors
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of The Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
KIANNA MARQUEZ | COLUMN
We should face climate change like we face the pandemic
Upholding health care as a human right during a health crisis
MARY ROLFES | COLUMN
Mary Rolfes can be reached at
morolfes@umich.edu.
Kianna Marquez can be reached at
kmarquez@umich.edu.
ANNA GETZINGER | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT GETZINGA@UMICH.EDU
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