Must country come with a health-care warning?

As a medical doctor, I am horrified with the across-the-board cuts aimed at the most vulnerable in our communities and dismantling of our democracy.

The massive cuts in funding for health care access and abandonment of our dedication to clean air, water and food safety are just two examples of policies guaranteeing many unnecessary deaths and lives ruined. This is not what Americans want.

None of my pregnant patients would have gotten medical care had it not been for Medicaid. All of them, including their newborns, are taking the hit to their bodies from toxic pollution and severe weather events due to climate change.

All of these crucial programs to reduce physical and mental misery require a functioning democracy. That’s why I am standing up for a Healthy Democracy for Healthy People. That included speaking up at last weekend’s No Kings rally and working with others to preserve voting rights. I am going to do what I can every single day, not just on June 14, to ensure that health policy follows medical science.

If we do nothing, our country may soon need its own label: “Warning: The country you are entering is hazardous to your health.”

Regina de Leon Gomez

Arlington Heights