Zabalegi et. al.'s piece raises a really great point in saying, "The coronavirus only emphasizes an already ongoing care crisis, the profound and planned capitalist inertia of invisibility, gendering, and racialization of care. In Euskal Herria, feminists felt that there was no structural direction that government officials had set for individuals who are marginalized during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. They were yet again experiencing what it is like to live though a structural care crisis where the health of these individuals are not prioritized. The feminists in this nation had to take their own actions towards care and health of their people because no one else was going to. They state, "We believe that it is necessary to organize ourselves socially to organize care among all, and at the same time address the needs of people without representation. We are ready to work. We will only get out of this together" (Zabalegi 2).
I find it to be so upsetting, yet extremely powerful that this group of feminists took it upon themselves to attempt to get proper care and health benefits for their people. It is absolutely unfair that our healthcare system is structured to really only support those who are financially able to afford it. These women had to take initiate, recognize their underprivileged state during the pandemic, and take actions to solve this on their own. Healthcare should be equally accessible for ALL individuals. I can remember seeing during the pandemic which communities were the most effected by the virus. And it was always communities that were poor and underrepresented. It is so upsetting that this is the way that we live- only supporting those who can support themselves.
Zabalegi, Maite Arraiza & Lober, Brooke, "A Communique From Basque Country in the Time of Coronavirus." Commune, 2020.
The readings this week really highlighted some of your points in your post. The American health care system only really unfortunately works well for people who have the money to pay for certain procedures and care. The pandemic really highlighted a lot of discrepancies in care along financial and ethnic lines in this country. People of color experience higher rates of Covid death than white people, which only reinforces the statement that the health system does not give equal priority or care to all individuals in the US.
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