To begin with, being faced with a decision about whether or not to "get political" is a monumental privilege. Centrism is a privilege. For the majority of our patients - patients struggling to get medications approved, gay patients, disabled patients, survivors of assault and
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rape, immigrants, minorities - really anyone who isn't straight and white, there is no being unpolitical. There is no staying out of politics because politicians are making decisions that dictate whether or not they can access healthcare, feed their families,
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keep their families safe, and more. What we currently deem "political" in this country are topics that are central to the health and well-being of patients. I'll give one example. Climate change. Climate change is capable of catastrophic damage to human health, safety, and
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security over the coming decades. Public health experts are predicting several tens of thousands of additional deaths by as soon as the year 2030 compared to a future with no climate change (Hales et al., 2013). It just so happens that whether or not a
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representative in congress believes or denies climate change is pretty much split into party lines. The reason for this is beyond my pay grade and I am sure someone much more qualified has addressed it. But you're telling me that,
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as a medical student with a powerful (powerful) advocacy tool at my fingertips to encourage my friends, family, and colleagues to elect people to congress who will act to save our planet and children, I'm supposed to do nothing? For what,
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the sake of not scaring away patients? For not offending my colleagues? In the year 2000, climate change was responsible for greater than 150,000 deaths worldwide; of these, 88% were children (Sheffield & Landrigan, 2011)
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Am I really supposed to take an oath to do no harm and then sit here and mind my manners while children, disproportionately those who are poor, suffer and die? Absolutely not.
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This is just one example of many. It just so happens that policy decisions about essential issues that impact our patients and their families are split across party lines right now. That doesn't matter.
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It isn't about being pro-democrat or pro-republican. It is about being pro-patient and pro-children. Personally, I don't feel comfortable doing nothing.
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"It's a matter of duty."https://twitter.com/misstourane/status/1134661072198045696?s=20 …
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I’m adding Dawn’s tweet to this thread because yes, unfortunately, health care for poor women is considered “political” —>https://twitter.com/dharrissherling/status/1134768545852792832?s=21 …
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End of conversation
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I'm a physician who's political AF - it's a matter of duty - to be silent is to be complicit. (and to be apolitical is a political statement in and of itself and reveals you don't give a fuck).