Coulter 10/15/09

Left's Healthcare Lies - Part 6

My take on Ann Coulter's latest. Her column was published on Townhall.com.

Summary: This installment covers claims comparing US infant mortality rates to those of other countries. It's comparing apples to oranges. The main causes are life-style choices such as smoking and teen births, rather than a lack of medical care. Also, other countries don't count premature births while ours do.

(17) America's low ranking on international comparisons of infant mortality proves other countries' socialist health care systems are better than ours.

Quote:

Apart from the fact that we count -- and try to save -- all our babies, infant mortality is among the worst measures of a nation's medical care because so much of it is tied to lifestyle choices, such as the choice to have children out of wedlock, as teenagers or while addicted to crack.

My Views: She makes some good points. The major causes of infant mortality are premature births and low birth weight. In addition from from life-style choices, another major reason for the higher reported rate in the US is the reporting criteria. She cites examples of countries which classify all infant deaths in the first 24 hours as "miscarrage" rather than "death". 1/3 of all infant deaths in the US occur in the fist 24 hours. Adopting a single measurement of counting deaths would dramatically change the US ranking.

Part 5

Series Summary

Part 7

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Anybody who is as hated as Ann Coulter is must be doing something right. She is very right-wing but every left-wing blogger would love to write like her. I hate rants; opinion pieces must argue from the facts. Pay attention to how she uses facts and draws politically incorrect connections among them. People would do well to think and not just be outraged.

Here's her Wiki bio. Her latest book is at the right.