{"id":1625682,"date":"2022-08-29T12:48:27","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T16:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1625682"},"modified":"2022-08-29T12:48:38","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T16:48:38","slug":"cnn-medical-analyst-turns-against-masking-kids-because-it-harmed-hers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-medical-analyst-turns-against-masking-kids-because-it-harmed-hers\/","title":{"rendered":"CNN Medical Analyst Turns Against Masking Kids Because It Harmed Hers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcnn-medical-analyst-turns-against-masking-kids-because-it-harmed-hers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1625682&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During the 1960s, the phrase &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_personal_is_political#:~:text=The%20phrase%20%22the%20personal%20is,larger%20social%20and%20political%20structures.\">the personal is political<\/a>&#8221; became a rallying cry for second-wave feminists challenging the social framework that existed at the time.<\/p>\n<p>There was an unhealthy collectivist undercurrent to this idea\u2014\u201cThere are no personal solutions at this time,\u201d wrote Women&#8217;s Liberation Movement member Carol Hanisch in an essay on the topic, \u201cThere is only collective action for a collective solution\u201d\u2014but the phrase also contains an element of truth.<\/p>\n<p>Personal experience does play an undeniable role in how many humans perceive politics and social structures, which brings me to CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018I Accept the Risk\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Throughout the pandemic, Wen was in what I\u2019ll call the \u201cpro-mandate\u201d camp.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2021, she excoriated governors who rescinded or failed to pass mask mandates in their states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are not out of the woods. We haven\u2019t reached the end of the pandemic,\u201d Wen said in <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/03\/08\/health\/face-mask-mandate-states-coronavirus-pandemic\/index.html\">a pro-mask CNN piece<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s counterproductive and truly infuriating these governors are treating this as if the pandemic is over. It\u2019s not true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later that year, she went so far as to argue that unvaccinated people shouldn\u2019t be allowed to leave their homes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need to start looking at the choice to remain unvaccinated the same as we look at driving while intoxicated,&#8221; Wen <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2021\/09\/10\/cnn-leana-wen-unvaccinated-travel-outdoor-ban\/\">told CNN&#8217;s Chris Cuomo<\/a>. &#8220;You have the option to not get vaccinated if you want, but then you can&#8217;t go out in public.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrLeanaWen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@DrLeanaWen<\/a>: \u201cThere are privileges associated with being an American. That if you wish to have these privileges, you need to get vaccinated. Travel, and having the right to travel in our state, it\u2019s not a constitutional right as far as I know to board a plane.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eyhEVooV20\">pic.twitter.com\/eyhEVooV20<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tomselliott\/status\/1436372898651033601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 10, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A year later, Wen\u2019s views have changed. In <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3UGUxWvCH7\">a recent <\/a><em><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3UGUxWvCH7\">Washington Post<\/a><\/em><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3UGUxWvCH7\"> article<\/a>, she explained why she\u2019ll no longer be masking her children and how she shifted away from \u201cbeing extremely cautious\u201d with Covid protocols.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI accept the risk that my kids will probably contract covid-19 this school year, just as they could contract the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and other contagious diseases,\u201d she writes. \u201cAs for most Americans, covid in our family will almost certainly be mild; and, like most Americans, we\u2019ve made the decision that following precautions strict enough to prevent the highly contagious BA.5 will be very challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wen\u2019s observations are not wrong. The new variants are less deadly, and this is particularly true for children, which has always been the case.<\/p>\n<p>A year ago, when Wen was still advocating strict mandates, <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/fee.org\/articles\/8-things-children-are-more-likely-to-die-from-than-covid-19-according-to-the-cdc\/\">we pointed out<\/a> that the CDC\u2019s own data showed small children were at far greater risk of dying from the flu, drowning, vehicle collisions, cancer, and other things than Covid.<\/p>\n<p>This data, for whatever reason, apparently did little to persuade Wen in 2021, however. What <em>does <\/em>appear to have changed her mind is that her child appears to have suffered from the mandates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMasking has harmed our son\u2019s language development,\u201d she bluntly asserts in the article.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018There Is a Tradeoff\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Throughout the pandemic, few policies have been debated with more fury than mask mandates. The vast majority of these debates focus on a single point: does masking prevent or even reduce Covid transmission? Some studies say yes, others cast doubt on their efficacy.<\/p>\n<p>For many, however, the efficacy of masking became a sort of dogma that could not even be questioned. (If you doubt this, consider that <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outkick.com\/youtube-now-allows-users-to-say-masks-didnt-stop-covid-spread\/\">until a few days ago<\/a> one faced risk of suspension on YouTube for suggesting that masks don\u2019t play a role in preventing Covid transmission.)<\/p>\n<p>Far less discussion focused on the <em>costs <\/em>of forcing people to wear masks, and Wen now sees this as a mistake.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a tradeoff,\u201d Wen says.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Many on Twitter have asked&#8211;how did I go from being extremely cautious with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/covid19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#covid19<\/a> precautions for nearly two years to now resuming pre-pandemic activities, including not masking my young kids at school?<\/p>\n<p>I explain in this <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PostOpinions?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@postopinions<\/a> column \ud83e\uddf5: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3UGUxWvCH7\">https:\/\/t.co\/3UGUxWvCH7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrLeanaWen\/status\/1562128515696414721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 23, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Many, however, refused to acknowledge this and argued that masking is simply a moral imperative. I recently had a discussion at a family gathering with a person who supports mask mandates. He became indignant when my sister-in-law said she didn\u2019t think it was right to force her children to wear masks at school all day long.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about protecting others,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the smallest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fact that he was not wearing a mask himself as he said this didn\u2019t seem the least bit ironic to him, but it proved Wen\u2019s point: there are <em>tradeoffs<\/em>. (If there was not, we\u2019d wear them all the time.)<\/p>\n<p>The idea of tradeoffs is <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aier.org\/article\/trade-offs-in-economics\/\">perhaps the most basic principle<\/a> in all of economics. It\u2019s rooted in a simple idea: in order to have or do one thing, one must sacrifice having or doing something else. All things come with opportunity costs, big and small. (A minor tradeoff with masking is simply being able to breathe more freely.)<\/p>\n<p>For most of the pandemic, many Americans and most public health officials refused to acknowledge the reality of tradeoffs. In 2021, <em>The New York Times<\/em> described a phenomenon known as \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/12\/briefing\/trump-covid-chick-corea-olympics-president.html\">Covid Absolutism<\/a>.\u201d It consists of two primary factors: 1. Taking every conceivable step that could reduce the spread of Covid regardless of its actual effectiveness; 2. Downplaying or ignoring the unintended consequences and tradeoffs of these policies.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There is an important difference between taking steps that *appear* to reduce the spread of Covid and taking steps that actually reduce the spread of Covid.<\/p>\n<p>A thread&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 David Leonhardt (@DLeonhardt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DLeonhardt\/status\/1360228687073972228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 12, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Who Gets to Choose?<\/h2>\n<p>Basic economics, however, teaches us the folly of this thinking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are no solutions, there are only trade-offs,\u201d Thomas Sowell famously observed.<\/p>\n<p>This was the economic lesson Wen learned during the pandemic. She didn\u2019t learn it in a classroom or in a textbook. She learned it in her personal experience when her own child began to struggle with language development (not a minor tradeoff), just like countless other children.<\/p>\n<p>Writing in <em>The Atlantic<\/em>, Stephanie Murray also wrote about the reality of tradeoffs, stating that many parents with youngsters who are struggling see the potential benefits of masking as a poor trade for what they lose developmentally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChildren with speech or language disorders offer perhaps the clearest example of these murky trade-offs,\u201d she <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/family\/archive\/2022\/03\/how-masks-get-way-speech-therapy-kids\/623332\/\">writes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This is precisely why decision-making must be left to individuals, not bureaucrats. Nobody is more capable of weighing the pros and cons of a trade or action better than the people who themselves stand to lose or benefit from that trade or action (or in this care, their parents).<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Wen no doubt knows a great deal about public health, just like Anthony Fauci and Rochelle P. Walensky. But even Fauci and Walensky, I suspect, would concede that it\u2019s Wen who knows what\u2019s better for her child.<\/p>\n<p>It must be stressed that it\u2019s not just that Wen <em>wants <\/em>what\u2019s best for her child. It\u2019s that she actually <em>knows <\/em>what\u2019s best for her child because she has infinitely more knowledge about her child than any distant bureaucrat or <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/fee.org\/articles\/when-meddlers-run-amok\/\">meddling politician<\/a> could ever possess.<\/p>\n<p>Nobel Prize-winning economist F.A. Hayek detailed this \u201clocal knowledge\u201d concept in his work exploring \u201cthe knowledge problem,\u201d and he showed why central planners seeking to engineer society through force are capable of producing little beyond \u201cplanned chaos.\u201d This is why it\u2019s so important that freedom of decision-making is left to those who have the most local knowledge and can most accurately assess the risks and rewards of any given action.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that Wen, to her credit, appears to have learned something throughout the tragedy of the Covid pandemic, as have so many others.<\/p>\n<p>The tragedy is that for so long she overlooked tradeoffs and used her platform to advocate coercive policies that deprived individuals of the ability to choose, a tragedy that is compounded by the fact that <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/H0xNLeTFOM\">Wen now finds herself a target of cancellation<\/a> for advocating a more sensible approach.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I&#8217;m on 3 immunosuppressants. COVID&#8217;s been scary.<\/p>\n<p>I never talk about this. Until I saw 600 experts publicly compare <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrLeanaWen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@DrLeanaWen<\/a> to a supporter of eugenics bc she&#8217;s come to oppose mandates.<\/p>\n<p>They&#8217;re doing this in the name of folks like me. I&#8217;d like to tell you why they&#8217;re wrong.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Billy Binion (@billybinion) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/billybinion\/status\/1562605819685789696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 25, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It\u2019s an ironic twist considering that only a year ago Wen herself was a proponent of confining unvaccinated people to their homes, and not one we should celebrate.<\/p>\n<p>But hopefully it can be a learning experience for Wen and others, who now recognize the danger in turning what should be individual decisions over to bureaucrats and political tribes.<\/p>\n[embedded content]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During the 1960s, the phrase &#8220;the personal is political&#8221; became a rallying cry for second-wave feminists challenging the social framework that existed at the time. There was an unhealthy collectivist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1625682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1625682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1625682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1625682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1625682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}