Forcing a vote on a secret bill that impacts so many, including my family, is an obvious wrong. I had issues with how the ACA was passed, but compared to what is happening now the passage of the ACA was highly ethical and transparent. The contrast between the passage of the ACA and the AHCA/BCRA is startling. I watched a video today of former President Obama taking ACA questions at a town hall. We have seen no such thing from President Trump or Republican leadership. Instead, we get insulting tweets from a detached POTUS who seems confused about the difference between health insurance and life insurance.
I see in the actions and rhetoric of the GOP a disregard for ethics, norms, and rule of law. I see also a disregard for life and dignity. We protested in massive numbers. We showed up with our wheelchairs and mobility aids to exercise our right to protest and petition, and we were dragged away. We shared our stories and bared our souls to offer testimony of our lived experiences as sick, disabled, neurodivergent, and dying Americans. The response has been cowardly and callous.
In autistic and disability circles, we say “Nothing about us without us.” Trumpcare has proceeded without us despite being very much about us. Bills drafted in secrecy by an unrepresentative group is not democracy.
