Gabriel Garnica
The left's medical hypocrisy: share health costs but not abortion decision
By Gabriel Garnica
The longer I live, the more convinced I become that the ultimate value of infinity approximates the number of creative ways in which the Left can spin double standards. No better example of this reality can be found than in the issue recently brought to light in a recent "Fox and Friends" discussing the fact that, for many years, women have had to pay higher health care premiums because insurance companies have used a gender rating which will be outlawed as of 2014 under the Affordable Care Act.
Look, I am no fan of insurance companies' own greed and hypocrisy in many areas, and the way they coldly and often callously view health and safety in terms of numbers and statistics. I have no problem with men and women sharing health costs, and definitely reject any form of discrimination between those costs based on gender. People are not merely boxes of body parts one counts up to determine cost or coverage.
In the "Fox and Friends" session noted above, Fox News medical contributor Dr. David Samadi, professor at Hofstra University and chairman of the Urology Department at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, fanned the flames of that discussion by basically arguing that women should, in fact, pay more because they have more parts that need regular checking. Not surprisingly, Samadi was roundly attacked as everything from an idiot to a sexist on Twitter.
As I see it, this is a complex yet simple area. On one hand, health care should be as compassionate, fair, and equal as possible between those who have paid into the system as best they can and paid their dues according to their ability. I do not agree with Samadi that ability to pay should be the cold criterion. The poor deserve health care as a matter of basic humanity. On the other hand, we must work to eradicate corruption and fraud in health care as well. As one with many contacts in the medical field, I am all too aware of hucksters who parachute in from other countries seeking, and getting, free health care and people who manipulate the system to get far more than their fair share.
What I find fascinating, however, is not the above debate which does not seem to be much of a debate at all but, rather, the Left's predictable penchant for attacking arguments with weapons which easily blow up in their faces. Responding to the Fox episode and Samadi's contentions, Slate, Freak Out Nation, and Marie Claire basically blasted Samadi for even hinting that men and women should not be equal health care partners.
Of these, Freak Out Nation easily provided the most delicious grenade by responding to Samadi's response to host Gretchen Carlson's argument that "men and women have babies together" with a "not always" by smacking Samadi with "Yes Dr. Dummy, always" followed by a sarcastic, caustic, and patronizing anatomical explanation of human fertilization and liberal rationalization for contraception served with a closing dash of
"Boom! There's your baby which resulted from a man and a woman having sexy time. Should I use picture cards? You' re welcome, Doctor!"
Now it's my turn to use picture cards. The Left argues that men and woman should be equal, willing, and glad health care partners ( which I have no problem with). They argue that abortion is health care ( which I actually totally disagree with). Given the first and second premises, put forth by the Left, does it not logically and reasonably follow that men and women should be equal, willing, and glad abortion partners? Why is it that women want men to participate equally until the woman decides to get an abortion, at which point the man can go to hell if he disagrees? Why is it that liberals say men who disagree on abortion should shut up because they have no ovaries but then argue that health care decisions should not be based on counting or comparing body parts?
Look, I am completely against abortion, and consider it a heinous and detestable violation of human life. However, my only point in this writing is to once again demonstrate just how pathetic, hypocritical, and flimsy the Left's double standards really are.
Women = men in health care ! Abortion = health care (?)
women not= men in abortion decision
Boom ! There's your liberal hypocrisy!
You're welcome, Left!
© Gabriel Garnica
September 3, 2013
The longer I live, the more convinced I become that the ultimate value of infinity approximates the number of creative ways in which the Left can spin double standards. No better example of this reality can be found than in the issue recently brought to light in a recent "Fox and Friends" discussing the fact that, for many years, women have had to pay higher health care premiums because insurance companies have used a gender rating which will be outlawed as of 2014 under the Affordable Care Act.
Look, I am no fan of insurance companies' own greed and hypocrisy in many areas, and the way they coldly and often callously view health and safety in terms of numbers and statistics. I have no problem with men and women sharing health costs, and definitely reject any form of discrimination between those costs based on gender. People are not merely boxes of body parts one counts up to determine cost or coverage.
In the "Fox and Friends" session noted above, Fox News medical contributor Dr. David Samadi, professor at Hofstra University and chairman of the Urology Department at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, fanned the flames of that discussion by basically arguing that women should, in fact, pay more because they have more parts that need regular checking. Not surprisingly, Samadi was roundly attacked as everything from an idiot to a sexist on Twitter.
As I see it, this is a complex yet simple area. On one hand, health care should be as compassionate, fair, and equal as possible between those who have paid into the system as best they can and paid their dues according to their ability. I do not agree with Samadi that ability to pay should be the cold criterion. The poor deserve health care as a matter of basic humanity. On the other hand, we must work to eradicate corruption and fraud in health care as well. As one with many contacts in the medical field, I am all too aware of hucksters who parachute in from other countries seeking, and getting, free health care and people who manipulate the system to get far more than their fair share.
What I find fascinating, however, is not the above debate which does not seem to be much of a debate at all but, rather, the Left's predictable penchant for attacking arguments with weapons which easily blow up in their faces. Responding to the Fox episode and Samadi's contentions, Slate, Freak Out Nation, and Marie Claire basically blasted Samadi for even hinting that men and women should not be equal health care partners.
Of these, Freak Out Nation easily provided the most delicious grenade by responding to Samadi's response to host Gretchen Carlson's argument that "men and women have babies together" with a "not always" by smacking Samadi with "Yes Dr. Dummy, always" followed by a sarcastic, caustic, and patronizing anatomical explanation of human fertilization and liberal rationalization for contraception served with a closing dash of
"Boom! There's your baby which resulted from a man and a woman having sexy time. Should I use picture cards? You' re welcome, Doctor!"
Now it's my turn to use picture cards. The Left argues that men and woman should be equal, willing, and glad health care partners ( which I have no problem with). They argue that abortion is health care ( which I actually totally disagree with). Given the first and second premises, put forth by the Left, does it not logically and reasonably follow that men and women should be equal, willing, and glad abortion partners? Why is it that women want men to participate equally until the woman decides to get an abortion, at which point the man can go to hell if he disagrees? Why is it that liberals say men who disagree on abortion should shut up because they have no ovaries but then argue that health care decisions should not be based on counting or comparing body parts?
Look, I am completely against abortion, and consider it a heinous and detestable violation of human life. However, my only point in this writing is to once again demonstrate just how pathetic, hypocritical, and flimsy the Left's double standards really are.
women not= men in abortion decision
Boom ! There's your liberal hypocrisy!
You're welcome, Left!
© Gabriel Garnica
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