Many prominent democrats have spoken out against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. One of the most eloquent responses came from US Representative Joe Kennedy III, great nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy. He had some choice words about the whole process, particularly the part where House Speaker Paul Ryan called the new bill an “act of mercy.”
Kennedy criticized the move while speaking to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, saying:
“I was struck last night by a comment that I heard made by Speaker Ryan, where he called this repeal bill ‘an act of mercy.’ With all due respect to our speaker, he and I must have read different Scripture.”
He went on the elaborate, saying:
“The one I read calls on us to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless, and to comfort the sick. It reminds us that we are judged not by how we treat the powerful, but by how we care for the least among us.”
Representative Kennedy also took to Twitter to comment on the matter, using the hashtag #ProtectOurCare:
There is no mercy in a system that makes health care a luxury. GOP repeal bill is not act of mercy. It is an act of malice. #ProtectOurCare pic.twitter.com/2pZG6uqgtl
— Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) March 8, 2017
Senator Elizabeth Warren also weighed in on the ethical implications of the bill, calling it “fundamentally cruel.” She went on to point out that approval ratings have increased in favor of the Affordable Care Act since Republicans started the process of repealing it.
Despite the many concerns raised over the GOP’s decision to repeal Obamacare, Republicans show no sign of slowing down. President Donald Trump even sent his assurances in the form of a tweet:
Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2017
It’s clear that the Trump Administration is determined to follow through on repealing the Affordable Care Act. It’s also clear that the future of American healthcare is in jeopardy. What happens next is up to concerned citizens everywhere.
Image courtesy of Martin Grondin, Creative Commons, found on Massive.com.
