Trump marks 'Sanctity of Human Life Day' as COVID death toll nears 400,000
‘Every human life is a gift to the world,’ Trump said in a proclamation.
Donald Trump on Sunday proclaimed that Jan. 22 will be “National Sanctity of Human Life Day” and called on Congress to “join me in protecting and defending the dignity of every human life.”
“On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we celebrate the wonder of human existence and renew our resolve to build a culture of life where every person of every age is protected, valued, and cherished,” Trump wrote in the proclamation.
Trump makes the announcement the same week the coronavirus death toll nears 400,000 — a grim milestone that is in part thanks to Trump’s failure to contain the virus.
From the early days of the pandemic, Trump was more concerned with shifting blame for the virus away from himself — worried about how it would impact his reelection chances — than implementing policies that would stop its spread even as he knew it was extremely contagious and deadly.
He refused to urge the country to take simple steps like wearing masks to protect themselves and others, instead politicizing the use of facial coverings — which experts say are the best way to stop the spread of the virus before a vaccine is widely available.
And he refused to modify his behaviors, holding large campaign rallies and political events against public health guidelines. It ultimately led Trump to hold multiple superspreader events and even contract the virus himself.
Ultimately, an average of 3,300 people are dying per day from the coronavirus in the United States, according to the New York Times’ coronavirus case tracker.
As of Monday, 397,600 people have died from the virus — higher than any other country on earth. That number is in a league of its own, with Brazil a distant second on the death toll list at 209,847, according to CNN’s tracker.
Those facts are in stark contrast to Trump’s claim that he cares about human life, per his proclamation.
“As a Nation, restoring a culture of respect for the sacredness of life is fundamental to solving our country’s most pressing problems,” Trump’s proclamation reads. “When each person is treated as a beloved child of God, individuals can reach their full potential, communities will flourish, and America will be a place of even greater hope and freedom.”
Of course, Trump’s celebration of “life” is mostly focused on abortion, touting his anti-abortion record.
Trump was slammed for the proclamation.
“Donald Trump has no business proclaiming January 22 ‘National Sanctity of Human Life Day,’ which he did today,” NBC News presidential historian Michael Beschloss tweeted on Sunday. “This will be two days after his Presidential term has ended, under the Constitution.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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