APHA: Communists provide leadership for public health

Boston, MA, November 30–Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members and friends attended public health conferences to present antiracist and communist messages to thousands of public health workers.

The pharmaceutical bosses and their genocidal state  once again chose to put their profit over workers’ lives in the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, murdering millions of workers around the world. Government officials, politicians, and pharmaceutical companies have assaulted the public’s health through racist “vaccine apartheid,” denying lifesaving Covid-19 vaccines to millions around the world–specifically South Africa, while several doses were exported to Europe (New York Times 8/16/21)- refusing reproductive health services to women in the U.S., and spending billions on the war in Ukraine.

We are too used to this profiteering, money-grubbing, capitalist system. Under communism, not only vaccines for all, but health care for all would be implemented immediately. Millions of lives saved virtually immediately. But capitalism demands profits be put first. What a sick system! Join the fight for communism.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) includes 25,000 members. It proclaims to be the voice of public health but maintains strong ties to the Democratic Party, undermining this mission. For 40 years, Party members have presented talks, written policies, organized demonstrations, and succeeded in winning passage of resolutions opposing police brutality, racist research, and imperialist wars, and marched against ICE (Immigration Control Enforcement). These activities have raised the profile of PLP in APHA while creating opportunities to meet and collaborate with other members and struggle with them to become revolutionaries. At this year’s conference, we continued this activity distributing hundreds of flyers against sexism and a special APHA CHALLENGE pamphlet urging members to join PLP.

Policy on global vaccines and treatment for Covid-19
This year PLP led the campaign in the APHA to pass a policy to provide Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments to the world. Over a dozen Party members and colleagues developed a policy statement demanding free, universal vaccination. Currently, the drug companies that produce the vaccines in the U.S. refuse to allow other countries to have the technology to produce their own, leaving many countries unable to vaccinate more than 10 percent of their populations. This not only imposes a death sentence on people in lower income countries, but it also endangers everyone by generating new forms (variants) of Covid-19 that are highly transmissible and harmful. Limiting access to medications like Paxlovid and monoclonal antibodies also endangers the health of our class, the working class and increases the risk of “long Covid-19,” a syndrome that creates severe disabilities. Meanwhile, the U.S. government has lifted life-saving services like moratoriums on rent and mortgages that allow people to stay housed. The policy, “Intellectual Property and Profits Limit Global Vaccine Access” was passed after nine months of work with our comrades and led to opportunities to discuss communism, socialize and plan for the future.

Communists sharpen discussion at alternative public health conference  
The APHA failed to provide Covid-19 safety requirements this year, so dissident members launched the virtual People's Public Health Program. This program opened the door to many more revolutionary and antiracist presentations that were not acceptable to the APHA leadership. They are now available on YouTube.

The PLP presentation “Covid-19 Protection NOT WAR” opposed U.S./NATO and Russian  imperialism for killing workers for profit. The presentation denounced Joe Biden’s capitalist strategy of supporting the war in Ukraine with $65 billion dollars instead of supporting the global prevention and treatment of Covid-19. The speaker called on attendees to join PLP and the revolutionary fight for communism. Several attendees cheered this radical presentation and one commented: “This is a profound question.” Debates over strategies for revolution ensued.   In contrast, the APHA leadership supported U.S. war aims by screening a photo of a Ukrainian soldier with his gun in the opening session of the meeting.

Members of PanEndIt, a disability group with which PLP works presented on equitable education for students with disabilities and the fight to amend Section 504 of the 1973 Disability Act. Another PLP member described the dangerous practices promoted by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the labeling of people as mentally ill when the anxiety and depression many people experience are normal reactions to capitalism. The capitalists recommend screening adults for anxiety. We say, to improve public health, destroy capitalism!