Let’s count the ways the current president and his administration are threatening our health:

1. One in six Americans dies from cancer. Currently, mRNA vaccines are being used to fight some cancers and they are a very promising approach to more cancers. The secretary of health and human services is drastically cutting back on mRNA research. People who might be saved from cancer will not be because of these cuts.
2. When another pandemic hits, more people will die because of research cutbacks. Overall, 1.5 million Americans died in the recent pandemic and more may die next time since the speed of vaccine production will be hurt by the recent cuts.
3. The current administration is turning away from renewables and slowing our progress in decreasing global warming. More Americans will die in floods, stronger hurricanes, tornadoes and forest fires worsened by a warming planet.
4. As the current administration continues to support fossil fuels, the air worsens, containing more fine particulate matter. It is estimated that about 8 million people die worldwide yearly from air pollution and about 100,000 Americans.
5. Cutting Medicaid and support for Obamacare will reduce medical care access and many will die.
6. For the Third World, the situation is much worse. Because of USAID cuts (before cuts, USAID was less than 1% of the budget) the experts estimate that 350,000 people have died.

During elections, people should consider that who they vote for can affect their health and longevity.

Nancy Hasenfus, MD
Brunswick