Update: This letter has also appeared in The Spokesman-Review as of May 5, 2022.
Who cares?
Hurray for Anne Hagerman Wilcox (author of “Blatant disregard for the already born”, published in The Spokesman-Review on April 27) who so courageously shared her story. It is wonderful that her Whitworth students cared enough to wear masks.
So, why haven’t we read or heard more about the immunocompromised who are dealing with the decision to remove mask mandates made by a newly-appointed 33 year-old Florida U.S. District Judge, deemed unqualified by the American Bar Association? The unyielding power of one person in our country, seen over and over, is a defect in our Constitution needing correction (Consider Joe Manchin).
Wilcox makes an important point – an individual’s health situation may not always be evident.
There are veterans, who signed up to protect our freedoms, who may for some reasons not be able to take advantage of the vaccines.
Mothers have experienced great anxiety about whether to send their vulnerable children to school after mask mandates were rescinded.
Certainly, many people need to be protected from COVID-19 and the new variants thereof, besides those immunocompromised.
What about the babies and young children? What about those who are allergic to vaccines, and yes, what about those who refuse to take the vaccine because of misinformation, but go to the hospital for treatment when infected, anyway?
Can we care about all citizens? Can we be a “vibrant community together”? Wearing masks in crowded places like airports, buses, trains, sports venues, schools and prisons to protect others is only a minor inconvenience. Besides helping others, you might even be protecting your own life!
– Nancy Street
Nancy Street is a retired Psychology Instructor from Spokane Falls Community College. She has a B.S., M.S. from the University of Illinois, a M.S. from Iowa State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She is from Cheney, WA.