Dear Friends of CCBI,
COVID-19: so many dilemmas! Canada is relatively fortunate compared with other countries as far as the number of cases and number of deaths are concerned. If so many of our elderly citizens had been able to be as socially isolated or distanced as the rest of the population, the number of deaths would be much lower. We know so much more now, sadly, too late for so many, but we hope and pray that their memory will be honoured in our promise to ensure the future safety of their counterparts.
Parents of school-age children are now free of ensuring homework is completed, since school is over for the summer. By far the bigger problem is whether and how our schools will re-open in September. It does not look as if the usual rules will apply, different formulae are being suggested, and The Globe article below explains some of the potential hazards, in light of the possibility of a ‘second wave.’ Compare this with Dr Fauci’s ideas for opening the schools come September, which seem to involve social reasons more than educational reasons, showing how necessary the school system (as opposed to education per se) is, at least in the US, for children’s health and well being.
Employment possibilities for parents and others are further threatened as long as there is no vaccine to relieve the ongoing need for distancing and other precautions. It is beyond belief that some people in Canada and elsewhere seem to think they are not personally vulnerable and that irresponsible conviction precludes them from concerns that they could even be carriers who endanger other people. The idea of individual rights shows at its worst in these situations. I’ve read about people saying things like” I don’t need to wear a mask—it’s an affront to my freedom of the person; I don’t need to distance myself—who’s going to make me?” As if a virus cares about rights, liberty, freedom of expression, etc. It has total freedom of expression, and we need to counter that as best we can. The old saying: short term pain, long term gain comes to mind here. The Gospel puts it more pointedly when it asks: am I my brother’s/sister’s keeper?
An article by the CEO of ‘Second Harvest’ calls for ongoing action on poverty and food security in Canada. She commends the government for its aid during the pandemic, and reminds Canadians: “Most importantly, we should also make permanent those broad-based, systemic interventions that have more than proven their worth in recent months, like the CERB or the surplus food-buying program.” She urges us to leave behind the current patchwork of emergency food supply systems across the country, and make permanent measures introduced during the pandemic, such as the $50-million Surplus Food Rescue Program, ‘where the government buys surplus agricultural goods to save from landfills and redistribute amongst vulnerable populations instead.’ That makes sense.
We have been trying to follow the progress being made in treatment of our migrant workers, and noticed how quickly some topics disappear from media. It seems that there has been intense testing in the areas most concerned, and government and local inspection is presumably having an effect. We will follow up again next week and can only hope that the picture is improving. This week we have been flooded with reports of incredible situations and numbers of infected people in the US, in India, in Brazil, in South Africa, the Amazon: the virus knows no boundaries.
We finish this week with an obituary! Unusual, I know, but Bambi really wanted it to be included. CCBI always advocates good palliative care, and end-of-life issues have been front and foremost for many people over the last few months. We have been privileged to be able to give assistance in several situations. The obituary is for Kappy Flanders, and when you read it, you will see what a powerful, initiating force she was in the development of palliative care. Such care is always relevant, and perhaps even more so because of the challenges to it and to other aspects of health care during the pandemic.
Our Lady, Help of the Sick, pray for us!
Pope Francis’ Intention for the month of July: That all families be accompanied with love, respect and guidance, we pray to the Lord!
Moira McQueen, LLB, MDiv, PhD
Executive Director, Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute
Lecturer, Faculty of Theology
University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto
The Globe and Mail: COVID-19 will reshape school
Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
| Good Reasons Exist to Reopen Schools, Fauci Says “If you keep children out of school, the unintended negative ripple-effect consequences can be profound,” Dr. Anthony Fauci says. www.dailysignal.com |
The Globe and Mail
Pandemic may accelerate job transformation
Unions tell MPs grocery works should have pandemic pay
COVID-19 could change the way we feed Canadians
| Opinion: COVID-19 could change the way we feed Canadians – The Globe and Mail Lori Nikkel is the CEO of Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization. For years, Canadians have survived with a patchwork system of aid to feed the hungry – a sprawling … www.theglobeandmail.com |
The Globe and Mail: Kappy Flanders: A Warrior for Palliative Care