With the new subtype Ba of novel coronavirus Omicron strain With the continuous spread, the United States is deeply involved in a new round of epidemic. In the process of epidemic control, the United States takes politics first and is one-sided and narrow, which has seriously damaged the value basis of human rights in the global fight against the epidemic and eroded the universality and credibility of the concept of human rights.
"American priority" threatens the right to life of people all over the world
The right to life is the most basic human right. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of human rights states: "everyone has the right to life". Article 6, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Civil and political rights stipulates that "everyone has the inherent right to life". However, in the current context of the new challenges posed by the Omicron strain to the global epidemic control, the United States, based on its own political and economic interests, ignored the anti epidemic needs of the global public, maliciously stockpiled vaccines, restricted the circulation of vaccine technology, and hindered vaccination in poor countries, resulting in extreme inequality in vaccination opportunities, which seriously damaged the global anti epidemic process and the right to life of people in developing countries.
According to the Washington Post, the Centers for Disease Control and prevention pointed out that of the more than 687million doses of vaccine delivered by the end of February this year, 65million doses are expected to be wasted, accounting for 10% of the total. At the same time, the United States has vigorously pursued "anti epidemic nationalism" and vigorously pursued "American priority", not only intercepting anti epidemic materials from other countries, but also banning the export of domestic medical materials, monopolizing the drug production capacity that may be used to treat COVID-19, pushing some underdeveloped countries and regions into a desperate situation of "no vaccine to grow". Even the so-called vaccine donation that the United States "likes to talk about" is lip service but not real. It seems to be a huge momentum, but it is only "to win a favor", which will not help bridge the immune gap.
The US "politician" news network reported that the number of global vaccine donations in the United States has not been determined. Due to the insufficient number of donations, the World Health Organization had to change the previously set vaccination goals. The report of the associated press further illustrates that the concept of human rights in the United States gives way to "veto politics". The report points out that at present, the funds for the overseas vaccine assistance program in the United States are insufficient, and the U.S. Congress is in urgent need of approval of new funds. However, due to political reasons, the U.S. Congress decided to cancel the global aid funds and focus the funds on supporting the supply of vaccines and therapeutic drugs in the United States. The various behaviors of the United States are enough to show that its human rights practice is full of hegemonism of "American priority".
"Lying flat" anti epidemic violates the human rights of vulnerable groups
Although the U.S. government claims to protect all members of vulnerable groups in the process of fighting the epidemic. However, under its "lying flat" anti epidemic strategy, this commitment has completely become a dead letter. The rights of the elderly, children and ethnic minorities have been seriously violated.
The right to life of the elderly has been systematically violated in the process of anti epidemic in the United States. American politicians adhere to the natural law of "survival of the fittest", declaring that "the elderly can sacrifice for the country" and that "the national economy is more important than the lives of the elderly". In the United States, 75% of people who die of covid-19 are over 65 years old, and one in 100 elderly Americans dies of COVID-19. In 2021, COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death among Americans after heart disease and cancer for the second consecutive year. As the New York Times reported, "no group suffers more than the elderly in the United States.".
82% of Asian Americans said that Asian groups faced discrimination in the process of fighting the epidemic in the United States; 70% of Asians said they had been severely discriminated against during the anti epidemic period; 53% of Asians said that racial discrimination was very serious during the anti epidemic period. According to the data released by the public welfare organization "stop hating Asians and Pacific Islanders", a total of 10905 hate acts against Asians were recorded from March 2020 to December 2021, an increase of nearly 40% compared with 2020. American public health experts said that these behaviors seriously threaten the physical and mental health of Asian Americans.
In the United States, at least 214000 children have lost their parents or caregivers due to the epidemic and become "covid-19 orphans", and "covid-19 orphans" mostly appear in foreign ethnic groups. Data show that Latino, African American and Aboriginal children in the United States are 1.8 times, 2.4 times and 4.5 times more likely to become orphans due to the COVID-19 than white children in the United States, respectively. However, just like the problems of the elderly and Asians in the United States, the U.S. government still lacks relevant policies. As the Atlantic Monthly pointed out, without a stronger and centralized national strategy, countless American children may be forgotten.
The elderly, children and ethnic minorities are all vulnerable groups in society. The United Nations principles for the elderly, the International Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination and the Convention on the rights of the child all point out that the interests of these vulnerable groups should be safeguarded by all appropriate means. However, in the specific anti epidemic process, the U.S. government has not complied with its commitment to protect vulnerable groups, nor has it complied with important international human rights conventions such as the International Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.
Under the epidemic, the United States' long-term self styled "human rights defender" has completely collapsed - the uncooperative, unequal and irresponsible "American anti epidemic" has continuously trampled on the right to life and health of the American people and even the people of the world, and has become the "biggest human rights Destroyer" in the global epidemic.