Importing Disease & Protecting Our Children

Gary Bauer

by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: Importing Disease - Since the Obama Administration announced plans to bring in 10,000 Syrian refugees, who cannot be thoroughly vetted according to top security officials, more than a dozen of the nation's governors have attempted to withdraw from the refugee resettlement program.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence was among those who courageously fought the administration. As usual, Obama ignored their concerns, and now we're seeing some of the fallout.

Radical Islam aside, it used to be national policy to prevent the importation of infectious diseases. But the federal government is clearly failing in its obligations to medically screen refugees. Four refugees with active, infectious tuberculosis (TB) were resettled last year in Indiana. In addition, there are reports that 20% of refugees resettled in Minnesota have tested positive for TB.

The medical expenses associated with treating TB are a serious strain on local budgets. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "The cost of treating an active TB case that is susceptible or responsive to drugs averages $17,000, according to the CDC. Care of patients with drug-resistant TB . . . costs many times more: $134,000 for a multidrug-resistant patient and $430,000 for an extensively drug-resistant one."

Medical experts in and out of government are sounding the alarm about the breakdown of our screening procedures. "Admitting people who might cause an epidemic makes no sense whatsoever from a public health standpoint," Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, said. "Officials who place politics above the health of Americans need to be held accountable and removed from positions of authority."

Thankfully sanitariums are a thing of the past. But the ideologically-driven carelessness of the Obama Administration may have us headed there again.

Protecting Our Children - Opposition to Obama's radical agenda of allowing children to choose which bathrooms and locker rooms they want to use is growing. Here's the latest:

Nearly 100 Pennsylvania state legislators sent a letter to the White House telling the president that his order was an "unconstitutional intrusion" that "sacrifices the fundamental privacy rights . . . [of] millions of school students."

The nation's Catholic bishops condemned the order as "deeply disturbing."

State senators in Tennessee are urging Governor Bill Haslam to sue the Obama Administration.

A resolution has been filed in the Oklahoma legislature calling for Obama's impeachment.

Twenty-five senators -- all Republicans -- told the administration that its policy was "inappropriate" and that states and school districts were free to set their own bathroom policies.

Rep. Steve King is calling for civil disobedience if necessary.

Meanwhile, we are doing our part to keep the pressure on. This morning, we issued a press release alerting the national media to our letter to Speaker Ryan and Senate Majority Leader McConnell demanding action from Congress on this critical issue.

I am pleased to report that legislation has been introduced in the House by Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN), who has been endorsed by CWF. Messer's bill would preserve the authority of local schools to set their own bathroom and locker room policies. We are still waiting for similar legislation to be introduced in the Senate.

We will keep you posted.
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Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families

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