After the initial response of dismissing the Coronavirus as just the latest media attempt to destroy Donald Trump, conservative pundits supportive of the president finally recognized that the virus is real. There were exceptions. Tucker Carlson, Michael Savage and Steve Bannon were among those who warned about the threat posed by Covid-19 from the beginning. However, most of conservative punditry did not change their tune until Trump gave the go ahead.
The debate has now shifted to what is the appropriate response to the outbreak. Should the economy be put on pause in an attempt to slow down the rate of infection or should economic activity continue as normal with the full knowledge that thousands may die. In simple terms, the debate is about what matters most, GDP or human life.
As the debate rages on, a strange pattern is emerging. Conservative pundits who for decades have been vocal about their belief that human life is precious and must be preserved at all costs are coming down on the side of GDP. Conservative personalities, who in the past jumped on the Terri Schiavo case and demanded that Congress take the unprecedented step of involving itself in a matter that is routinely handled at the state level, are now demanding that we all go back to work in the face of a pandemic. Conservatives talk show hosts like Laura Ingraham, who declared Michael Schiavo a “murderer”, now demands a date certain for when “this will end”.
Americans need to know date certain when this will end. The uncertainty for businesses, parents and kids is just not sustainable.
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 20, 2020
A very strange pattern indeed, pundits who decried Obamacare for wanting to establish “Death Panels” are now advocating that the economy carry on even if it means sacrificing the old and the weak. The same pundits who made it their mission to keep socialized medicine out of the United States because it would lead to rationing are now balking at spending a couple of trillion dollars to prevent our healthcare system from collapsing.
Pro-lifers, who have railed against abortion for decades because every human life is precious, are now putting GDP ahead of saving lives. They compare the current crisis to the H1N1 epidemic or the seasonal flu. They point out that thousands of people died due to H1N1, millions were infected and the economy was not put on hold. Every year, they say, thousands of people die of the seasonal flu and yet the economy carries on. In other words, gradma will probably die but we can’t stop the economy!
How are their arguments different from women justifying seeking an abortion because of economic reasons? According to the Guttmacher Institute, “Some 75% of abortion patients in 2014 were poor (having an income below the federal poverty level of $15,730 for a family of two in 2014) or low-income (having an income of 100–199% of the federal poverty level)”. Are those who have assailed women for having abortions to pursue careers also going to admonish those who put their economic well being ahead of thousands of lives? The pure pro-life stance would categorically come down on the side of life.
Double standards are nothing new in the pro-life camp or in any political camp for that matter. Conservatives who rant about those evil liberals who want to kill babies often support wars that result in thousands of innocent children dying. Every child is a precious gift from God unless they happen to be in the way of droning some terrorist. Then, it’s only collateral damage. Now we can add protecting the almighty GDP as a valid reason for relaxing their pro-life stance.
