Letter to the editor – Red states have higher death rate

Data was recently released that shows how residents in states with Republican majority legislatures have a shorter life expectancy. These states have fewer people covered by health insurance, fewer regulations on industries that pollute toxins, increasing morbidity and mortality, dismissal of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations, weakened or dismantled public health departments (with un or misinformed legislators making health recommendations/decisions rather than experts in the field — which I find horrifying), weakened helmet laws, more guns with weaker laws and less enforcement, etc.. The highest number of COVID-19 deaths were in the least vaccinated states and those with the most lax or non-existent enforcement of protections.

Of course, people want the freedom to determine their own behaviors. But others' actions affect everyone else tremendously, not just themselves. Dead, ill, maimed, and disabled people cost the state government a lot. The lack of productivity, funds going to the disabled, caring for children that are orphaned or have disabled parents, the cost of mitigating polluted air and water, and covering the resulting cancers and pulmonary disease, etc.

There's also a moral and emotional toll, which I would argue is greater than the financial loss. We are impacted by non-existent or weakly enforced laws associated with seatbelts, helmets, guns, pollution, lack of health care, pandemic illness, closing of rural hospitals, and closing of health clinics.

However, in these same states, the government is inserting itself in very personal care decisions between doctors and their patients. There are whispers that other privacy rights are at risk as well regarding contraception, interracial marriage, and LGBTQ rights. I don't want politicians in my doctors' offices or my bedroom. Or anyone else. These intrusions into our privacy further decrease the health and well-being of our population. The political decisions that minimize the safety of our population greatly decrease the health and well-being of our state.

Which leads to another question. Why are our Republican leaders pushing through legislation that most Americans do not want? For example, abortion rights which are generally popular (61% of all Americans support legal abortions in all or most cases while 37% of all Americans believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.) There seems to be a misunderstanding that anti-abortion is the same as pro-life. The true pro-life stance is not just about babies being birthed, but feeding, clothing, educating, providing health care, and nurturing the life that has been birthed. I see the opposite occurring with the policies that are being pushed as pro-life, rather than being anti-abortion.

And common-sense gun safety is popular as well. The vast majority of Americans support universal background checks. Studies show that over 60% of Americans, including gun owners, support a ban on assault weapons and 74% support raising the legal age to 21 to buy any gun. There are way too many guns on the streets. Basic background checks, red-flag laws, an older age to purchase automatic weapons, permits, and even insurance are infinitely reasonable. Driving a car requires an appropriate age, license, and liability insurance. These safety measures would not stop responsible gun owners from having guns, but could diminish the number of mass shootings, homicides, and suicides. Our Republican legislators are making a lot of decisions that are not what most of us want or in our individual or collective best interests.

Your health odds are better with Democratic state legislatures.

Rebecca Halperin, M.D.

Oak Ridge