This week’s Republican National Convention has resembled nothing so much as a circus sideshow. There was the norovirus outbreak among California staffers, a plagiarized speech delivered by the potential first lady of the United States, and even a moment when former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson linked Hillary Clinton to Lucifer.
As wacky as the RNC seems, it’s only the latest example of Republican leaders’ willingness to venture into the realm of the imagination. When it comes to nearly every aspect of health, for instance, from health care to women’s issues to vaccines to mental health, Republican leaders not only disregard basic medical science, but also engage in a kind of magical thinking that’s rarely seen outside of children’s literature.
In homage to all of the nonsense, we’ve rounded up a few of the most egregious views Republicans hold on health in America:
1. There’s a correlation between mental illness and violence
“This isn’t a gun problem, this is a mental problem,” Donald Trump said in response to the killing of two Virginia journalists last summer. “It’s not a question of laws, it’s really the people.”
No, Donald. Statistically, individuals suffering from mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than to commit violent crimes themselves. Furthermore, off-the-cuff statements about a connection between mental illness and violent crime in the wake of senseless acts of violence only perpetuate the negative stereotypes and stigma that make it hard for people with mental health issues to seek professional help in the first place.
2. Sexual assault is a natural byproduct of allowing women in the military
Rape culture, or the notion that normalizing sexual assault perpetuates the problem, is alive and well in Trump’s world. By flippantly commenting that men and women working in the same field naturally yields rape, Trump undermines the situation, as well as the very real mental health problems that frequently crop up for victims of rape. One in 3 women who are raped will develop post-traumatic stress disorder during their lifetime, according to the National Violence Against Women Research Center.
3. Pumping breastmilk at work is ‘disgusting’
Despite the health benefits of breastfeeding, which include a reduced risk of ear and respiratory infections, asthma, diabetes and obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trump lashed out at a female lawyer when she requested a breast milk pump break during a 2011 deposition.
“You’re disgusting, you’re disgusting,” he screamed, according to the lawyer, which is a shame considering that 1 in 6 breastfeeding mothers stop breastfeeding before she intends to. Want to know what’s not helping matters? Shaming working mothers for pumping breastmilk on the job.
4. Big Government forces unnecessary vaccines on us
Despite the fact that Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced former doctor who spawned the anti-vaccine movement, had his infamous study formally retracted in 2004 and was stripped of his medical license, Ben Carson