In an era of cynical partisan politics, congressional Republicans may have reached a new low.
Five months ago, President Barack Obama sought $1.8 billion in emergency funds to stem the spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect in which infants have unusually small heads and damaged brains.
The nation is still waiting.
Congress needs to pass a clean bill that deals with this very serious situation while there’s still time to get it under control.
So far, Republicans have offered only a $1.1 billion appropriation tied to spending cuts and to policy restrictions.
These include provisions to allow Confederate flags to be flown at veterans’ cemeteries and $540 million in cuts to the Affordable Care Act. But here’s the most cynical of all: They want restrictions on Planned Parenthood and other similar clinics using money to provide contraception to fight Zika, which can be sexually transmitted.
Never mind that the World Health Organization has advised women in 46 Latin American and Caribbean countries where the virus has been found to consider delaying pregnancy.
Even the pope has declared that contraception can be used to stop the spread of the virus. The pope.
But that’s not good enough for congressional Republicans, who are pandering to social conservatives with the anti-contraception stand while trying to blame Democrats for refusing to go along with the poison-pill provisions.
Politics trumps public health and human lives, even in the face of a crisis. It’s clearly an election year.
The Obama administration wants the money to develop a vaccine and to help state and local governments deal with Zika when it spreads here. Time is running out. After next week, Congress goes on a seven-week vacation — just as much of the country enters mosquito season.
Two types of mosquitoes thought to carry Zika cover most of the United States except the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies.
Yes, they are found in the Bay Area.
The 934 Zika cases in this country thus far are almost exclusively related to foreign travel, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
At least 287 pregnant women have tested positive for possible infection. Seven babies have been born here with Zika-related birth defects.
It’s only a matter of time before outbreaks like those in the Caribbean, Central and South America and Pacific Islands reach us, particularly with increased travel to Brazil for the Olympics in August.
Already, restrictions on blood donations from people who have traveled to Zika-infected areas are limiting the supply in parts of Northern and Central California.
No wonder health officials are urging members of Congress to act. It’s appalling that they haven’t.
And it’s hard to see how blocking the nation from fighting a devastating disease affecting babies is going to help the GOP win elections this fall.
Bay Area News Group
