Perspectives: As School Mask Rules Change, Here Come The Bullies Again
Opinion writers weigh in on mask-wearing and also abortion.
Miami Herald:
Mask Bullying In Schools Unlikely To End Any Time Soon, Children’s Mental Health A Casualty
An advisory to parents from Boston Children’s Hospital is titled: “The great mask debate: how to deal with bullying over face masks in school.” Then there is the 8-year-old child in Missouri asking her school district to mandate masks after being bullied for wearing one by fellow classmates without masks. Bullying in schools over mask wearing has been reported by local news media across the nation. Students wearing masks and those not apparently have been bullied and ridiculed, though it appears those wearing masks more commonly targets. This bully, however, hasn’t been a salient topic in the national debate over face masks in schools. (Frederic H. Decker, 3/6)
The Washington Post:
How Much Of The Covid Death Toll Is A Function Of Peer Pressure?
What strikes me about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) performative excoriation of a group of high school students this past week is how completely it undercuts his boastfulness about the “freedom” Floridians enjoy. ... What this gets at is something that’s difficult to measure: the social pressures of combating the coronavirus. Since the outset of the pandemic, polling has indicated that Americans generally fall into one of two groups. There are those who believe it’s important to wear a mask around others, who were quickly vaccinated and boosted and who have limited social interactions. Then there are those who wear masks only sporadically, shrug at getting vaccinated or boosted and who think that life should just get back to normal. (Philip Bump, 3/6)
Stat:
Politicians Should Not Be Deciding What Constitutes Good Medicine
Most people get their medical advice from their doctors. But many may soon get it from state legislators, a frightening prospect that has already become law in two states and may happen in 24 more, with 47 pieces of active legislation under consideration. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many politicians have offered medical advice. President Trump endorsed bleach and hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, as Covid therapies. YouTube suspended the account of Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) after he shared a clip touting the benefits of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Similarly, Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) encouraged the use of ivermectin shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration had spoken out against its use. (Richard J. Baron and Ezekiel J. Emanuel, 3/7)
CNN:
These Covid-19 Symptoms Raise New Questions
The suddenness of the pandemic and the suddenness of so many deaths were unspeakably tragic. Yet, for those patients and families who have managed to stay Covid-free over the last two years, the fear of Covid and the urgent desire to protect oneself may have been dulled by time and the relatively mild symptoms that were widely reported with the last variant of concern. But now, with an elevated risk of heart disease, stroke and blood clots as a possible long-term effect of Covid-19 -- conditions that can be chronic and slowly debilitating -- perhaps the VA researchers will do something that almost a million American deaths has not: frighten a broad swath of the vaccine-hesitant into rolling up their sleeves and taking the shots. (Kent Sepkowitz, 3/4)
On the topic of abortion —
The Courier Journal:
Abortion Restrictions Tells Pregnant People They Don't Matter
When I hear people talk about abortion, especially those who are opposed to this aspect of reproductive care, I only hear stories portraying the pregnant person as selfish, erratic or irresponsible. It’s as if they are only thinking of the current moment and only of themselves. This isn’t the case. Many women who need abortion care are thinking about the future, about the children we want to have, about the children we will need to feed, clothe, house and give time and energy to. Some of us worry another pregnancy will not leave enough resources for the children we already have and love. We’re also allowed to think of ourselves. Some of us know a pregnancy would keep us living in poverty, or bind us forever to people who abuse us. Do we not deserve protection? (Robin Krunkel, 3/4)
The New York Times:
Texas Is The Future Of Abortion In America
Over decades, in one situation after another, Texas has been the epicenter of America’s abortion rights battle. ... Even before S.B. 8 took effect, reproductive rights advocates in Texas felt that most of the country wasn’t paying attention. This may be because many Americans have long regarded Texas politics as nothing but the right-wing fringe — easily dismissed and not to be taken seriously. (Mary Tuma, 3/6)
