From Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA (https://www.lutheranadvocacypa.org/):
Go to https://support.elca.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1228 to encourage your federal lawmakers to improve U.S. response to pandemics. (NOTE: You do not need to be Lutheran to use this!
Since a bipartisan group of U.S. representatives introduced the Global Health Security Act of 2019 (H.R. 2166), legislation that will revitalize U.S. government commitment to advancing global health security, the need for its passage has only increased. The bill was recently advanced out of House Foreign Affairs Committee but awaits full floor vote.
At this moment in time we are achingly aware that infectious disease outbreaks can cause massive disruptions in families and communities. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is an illustration and reminder to us all. Now more than ever, disease outbreaks in a single country can easily spread across borders with global consequences. Nations can no longer standby when their neighbors are experiencing disease outbreaks, for our interconnection makes all of us vulnerable.
While global efforts to prepare for pandemics have somewhat improved over the past few decades, the world is still insufficiently prepared to manage such public health threats. In order to strengthen response to global pandemics, the international community must do everything possible, including by sharing resources and knowledge, and by investing in resilient health systems that can withstand global health threats.
The Global Health Security Act will bolster U.S. government’s efforts to prevent, detect and respond to global pandemics. It aims to strengthen U.S. commitments under the Global Health Security Agenda, a multilateral initiative launched in 2014 to build countries’ capacity to manage infectious disease threats and elevate heath security as a global priority. By clarifying leadership and responsibilities, the Global Health Security Act strives to improve coordination among relevant federal departments and agencies.
The ELCA social statement, Caring for Health: Our Shared Endeavor, notes “threats to health do not respect national boundaries” (page 14). As citizens, it says, “we ought to support those disease-preventing and health-promoting public health measures that can be taken only at community, state, and national levels. We also have responsibility to support similar efforts that address disease prevention, health promotion, and treatment on a global scale” (page 8). Our response to pandemic with Christian faith moves us to love God and love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.
Ask your Representative to support the Global Health Security Act in order to position our nation to more effectively prevent, detect and respond to health concerns with measures that will support the well-being of all.
Thank you for your Advocacy!
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