Angela Chininin Buele

Why Abortion Rights and the Epipen Outrage Don’t Mix

These days with social media at our fingertips if someone makes an off-color joke, gets caught in a lie, or tries to jack up the price of life-saving medicine, a razor-sharp response is released like lightning, complete with public boycotting campaigns.  For example, when the makers of a household epinephrine injector found themselves in the hot seat over their skyrocketing prices, they said the cost of the materials and ingredients had increased.  They pledged to make a product available at a dramatically reduced price, but the level of disdain for this company and its CEO may cause quite a bit of harm to company’s quarterly sales if the current demonization campaign marches on.

It’s horrible to think that someone can make money – and a lot of it- off of such an important product without giving consideration for the well-being of the most vulnerable persons affected.  A perplexing thing is that people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds gladly shell out hundreds – even thousands – of dollars for the status achievement of wearing a high end designer product.  So should these same people be shocked when the economy of style bleeds into genuine life-and-death situations?  Well, yes, they certainly should be shocked by any calculated appraisal of the saving of a person’s life to seek monetary profit.  But should we not also become defensive when all people in a weakened condition are taken advantage of?  What about the elderly person getting conned out of their fixed income?  Or the girl that’s been drugged at a party?  What of the developing child who comes as a surprise to his or her mother?  Since those with life-threatening allergies rightly deserve our decisive response and protection against what seems to be price-gouging, shouldn’t we all also be quite sensitive to the impending robbery, rape, and dismemberment of the other three targets who are preyed upon in their weakness?  Yes.  The answer is, yes, we most certainly should.  Each and every person was made by our common Creator to bring Him glory, not to be used to bring about a profit.

Key Question: Is it a stretch to compare corporate corruption to private medical decisions?

Unshakable Truth: “But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion”  (Luke 10:33).

In the parable, there was a man who was robbed, stripped, beaten, and left for dead.  It didn’t matter to the Samaritan (or to Jesus) who profited or what events led up to the attack.  A weak man hung in the balance, and the Samaritan took action.  Rescue is the modus operandi of the Savior, and after loving Him, our most important calling is to love other people – of all races, all cultures, all shapes and all sizes.

The Real Choice: Are you willing to love and defend the most fragile of neighbors?