A prominent public health professor has drawn a disturbing parallel between President Trump's government shutdown tactics and the infamous eugenics policies of the Nazis. The professor, an esteemed emergency room doctor and health policy expert, argues that Trump's administration's framing of the shutdown and its emphasis on 'deserving' patients echo America's dark history of eugenics in the 1920s and 1930s, which was later adopted by the Nazis.
The ongoing shutdown, now in its fourth week, has seen Congress fail to pass full-year funding. The White House and Speaker Mike Johnson are demanding spending cuts and immigration concessions, while Senate Democrats insist on extending ACA subsidies and reversing summer healthcare cuts to reopen agencies. Dr. Craig Spencer, an influential clinician in emergency care and lecturer on health and eugenics at Brown University, believes the administration's approach is a clear echo of America's eugenics movement.
Dr. Spencer highlights the similarity in language used by the administration regarding immigration, access to healthcare, and who deserves government support. He argues that the 'logical conclusion' of this rhetoric is a chilling idea: letting certain people die. This comparison, while uncomfortable, is becoming more pertinent as each day passes, according to Dr. Spencer.
The shutdown fight, according to Dr. Spencer, is part of a broader pattern in Trump-era health policy, characterized by deep federal cuts and stricter eligibility rules. Republicans have been accused of pushing 'free healthcare' for undocumented people, which fact-checkers have deemed false. Democrats, on the other hand, are focused on extending ACA subsidies and reversing summer healthcare cuts.
Despite the political rhetoric, federal law governs emergency rooms. The Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTLA) mandates that Medicare-participating hospitals must screen and stabilize all patients, regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status. This legal obligation is supported by prominent political figures like Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who emphasizes the Hippocratic oath's commitment to treating all patients.
However, the shutdown's impact on emergency rooms is a concern. As the shutdown continues and workforce cuts are pursued, the administration's talking points could have real life-or-death consequences. Dr. Spencer asserts that emergency physicians cannot be expected to withhold life-saving care based on immigration status, as their primary duty is to treat emergencies, not to query federal databases.
