Letters to the editor on school anniversary, vaccine mandates and Bob Dole
School anniversary
December is traditionally a time to reflect on the past. Since KU School of Medicine-Wichita celebrated its 50th anniversary in September, we’ve enjoyed reviewing half a century of teaching, research and serving Wichita and beyond.
About 4,800 learners have received their M.D. from KUSM-Wichita and/or have completed one of its residency/fellowship programs.
Within the past five years, it was calculated that about 50% of Sedgwick County physicians graduated from KUSM-Wichita. Students participating in the JayDoc Community Clinic provide medical services to about 500 people a year, many who are seen multiple times.
But it’s more than numbers. It’s personal impact. In addition to teaching and practicing at KU clinics, hospitals and other clinics, employees conduct studies and research, work with city and state leaders on education, and partner with others to update training – all on current health issues like COVID-19, Alzheimer’s and mental health, and with the latest high-tech equipment.
With past and current successes, the foundation for KUSM-Wichita’s future continues to be strong. As the recent awareness campaign underscored, “We Doc This!”
We are proud to be associated with our 50-year-old school.
Our bodies
The Republican argument is that the government has no constitutional authority to require anyone to be vaccinated and that only people, not the state, have the sole say when it comes to their own bodies. Yet these same people argue quite the opposite when it comes to a woman’s right to end a pregnancy.
How is it that one argument is applicable while another is not? How is it that Mississippi can argue before the US Supreme Court that autonomy does not exist when it comes to abortion while its own governor recently said any Covid-19 mandate issued by the federal government is basically unconstitutional. People, according to him, should have a fundamental right to choose. After all, it’s their body.
Yes, abortion results in the death of the unborn, but resistance to vaccines can also kill, since a person refusing to be vaccinated and wearing a mask can spread the deadly virus to another that could result in their death. So please get voluntarily vaccinated and let’s keep abortion safe for all women who live in this great nation of ours. After all, it’s our bodies and we have the right to take care of them as we see fit.
Bob Dole
How fitting that Bob Dole’s passing should be just two days before the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The day that led to U.S. involvment in World War II; the war that left him wounded but not broken. Inspiring him to spend most of his years in service to his country.
I had the honor of going with my daughter’s family to Pearl Harbor this past August. At the visitor’s center is a painting on the ground of the Pacific, and it was moving to show my grandsons where my dad served in New Guinea and Japan during the occupation. I have already shown them my dad’s war letters. But for them to actually stand at the Arizona memorial and to be in the bay where it all happened that day was better than any description or appreciation of sacrifice even a veteran of the Army like me could give them. Being there for them and me made all the difference.
People like Sen. Dole and his generation made a difference to all of our lives during and after the war. Thank you and RIP — to all of them.