By: Emily Miller, Senior Copy Editor
Vice President and Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election, Joseph “Joe” Biden, Jr. is best-suited to be America’s next leader. His policies not only serve the American people on the whole but hit close to home for the Saint Leo University community.
One of the biggest issues facing any Catholic institution, Saint Leo included, is the pro-life versus pro-choice debate. Biden plans to codify Roe V. Wade, restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and restore the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate.
Biden may seem like an undesirable choice to Catholics, given the Church’s stance on abortion. But these policies are not harmful to pro-lifers nor do they contradict the pro-choice stance, instead, they unify both sides of the argument.
The study, “Unintended pregnancy and abortion by income, region, and the legal status of abortion: estimates from a comprehensive model for 1990–2019” conducted by Jonathan Bearak, Ph.D., et. al found that in countries with restrictions on abortions, the abortion rate increased.
“The proportion of unintended pregnancies ending in abortion had increased since 1990–94 in countries where abortion was legally restricted. As such, individuals with unintended pregnancies relied on abortion services even in settings where abortion was restricted, potentially facing legal and physical risks for doing so,” according to the Lancet Global Health study.
Biden’s policies which work to give women freedom and choice with regard to pregnancy could actually decrease abortion rates.
Furthermore, Biden’s contraceptive mandate provides “an exemption for houses of worship and an accommodation for nonprofit organizations with religious missions,” according to his campaign website, joebiden.com. This means that the Catholic Church, among other houses of worship, are not required to provide free access to contraceptives. The aforementioned accommodations allow women free access to contraceptives only through their insurance company or third-party administrator, but not through an employer-provided insurance plan. Thus, Biden’s policies provide a middle-ground, allowing secular organizations to provide women with contraceptives, either for regulating hormones or for birth-control, while still respecting the beliefs of religious organizations.
Biden’s campaign also pushes to support veterans as has Biden himself in the past. From his advocacy for the care of Vietnam veterans affected by Agent Orange and other toxins to the Joining Forces initiative which works to multiply employment opportunities for veterans and military families, Biden has been with those who serve our country every step of the way. His 2020 campaign plan is no different. The Biden Administration will provide health care for veterans, covering both physical and mental health. Resources will be provided for the VA and Suicide Prevention Office and the VA’s capacity to care for veterans’ specific needs will be expanded under Biden’s presidency.
Biden’s sense of respect extends to his plan for combating COVID-19 and keeping the American people safe. While President Donald J. Trump is the first president since Woodrow Wilson in 1918 to face a global pandemic, and thus the situation has been challenging, his handling of the virus has been less than satisfactory. Currently, the U.S. leads in the world with 7,380,326 cumulative cases and 208,787 cumulative deaths due to COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite this, Trump continuously downplays the virus. Starting on Jan. 22, 2020, when the CDC identified the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. Trump implied he was not worried about the virus in a CNBC interview.
“We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine,” said Trump.
Even after his COVID-19 diagnoses, Trump tweeted tone-deaf advice on Oct. 5.
“[…] Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life […],” Trump tweeted.
But it’s hard to ignore a disease that has been so deadly and the data shows this advice has been harmful to hundreds of thousands of Americans.
The Biden Administration plans to fix the damage Trump’s downplaying of the virus has caused with a seven-step, detailed plan that can be found on Biden’s campaign site. This plan includes, but is not limited to, using the Defense Production Act of 1950 to increase the production of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE); increasing the number of drive-through testing sites, home tests, and instant tests; investing $25 billion in a vaccine plan which follows FDA guidelines and ensures every American receives the vaccine without cost; ensuring the CDC provides clear evidence-based guidelines for social-distancing, mask-wearing, and when it is appropriate to open or close certain public spaces. This response tackles COVID-19 head-on, freeing Americans from the virus which currently dominates our lives.
Coronavirus has had devastating effects on the financial situations of many Americans and students know these effects first-hand. Saint Leo, among other universities, cannot refund students for “housing, dining, or tuition” under an emergency situation where on-ground instruction is no longer available, according to the “Return to the Pride” framework. Among other policies designed to help the middle class, Biden plans to implement a federal grant program for students attending community colleges who have experienced an “unexpected financial challenge that threatens their ability to stay enrolled,” according to his campaign site. While this policy may not directly affect students currently enrolled at Saint Leo, one can certainly understand the positive effects this policy will have on fellow students, especially during a global pandemic. Furthermore, Biden plans to continue and expand on his College Promise programs, which give students access to free two-year or four-year college educations.
The Biden Administration promises a multitude of policies that work to make education after K-12 affordable; they are not limited to just community colleges. Universities and colleges which provide for many low-income students and students of color are currently suffering from a lack of resources. Biden will invest more than $70 billion in these institutions to allow them to flourish with opportunities like more affordable education and the creation of new centers, labs, and facilities for research into issues like climate change and cancer. Biden has the future of the U.S., and the world, in mind—this is just one example.
