A physician whom President-elect Joe Biden has asked to advise on the coronavirus, sees himself because of an article he wrote six years ago arguing that he has no ambitions to live beyond the age of 75.
The essay by Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist who is one of the ten advisory board members Biden appointed to his coronavirus task force this week, describes how he believes that at this age “creativity, originality and productivity are all but gone for the vast, vast majority of us.
“Living too long is also a loss. It makes many of us, if not disabled, then faltering and in decline, a condition perhaps no worse than death, but nonetheless bereft,” he wrote in the piece for the October 2014 issue of The Atlantic, titled “Why I hope to die at 75.
He said that in a “valiant effort to cheat death and prolong life as long as possible,” Americans are obsessed with health care and that “I reject this endeavor. I consider this manic desperation to prolong life indefinitely to be misguided and potentially destructive.
“For many reasons, 75 is a pretty good age to try and stop,” said Emmanuel, who is 63 years old. He wrote that he would reject medical treatments such as flu vaccinations and that “in the event of a flu pandemic, a younger person who cannot yet lead a full life should be given the vaccine or antiviral medication.
Emanuel made it clear in the play that he was against medically assisted suicide and did not want to turn 75 and then simply die.
Many resorted to social media to highlight the sensitive issues Emanuel raised, as he will play a role in protecting the elderly from COVID-19, not to mention that Biden himself is 77 years old.
President Donald Trump’s campaign account @TeamTrump was tweeted: “CRAZY: Biden’s Pick for Coronavirus Task Force said, ‘Living too long is also a loss’ and ‘Dying at 75 won’t be a tragedy'”.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany twittered: “JoeBiden’s COVID Task Force has selected Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel to explain why it is no longer worthwhile to preserve life after 75 years.
âDying with 75 will not be a tragedy.â
– @JoeBidenâs COVID Task Force Pick, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, on why life is no longer worth preserving after 75 years
– Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) November 10, 2020
The host of The Matt Walsh Show on The Daily Wire twittered to his 517,000 followers: “The coronavirus kills disproportionately many people who are 75 years and older. Joe Biden’s coronavirus consultant has argued in the past that people over 75 would be better off dead. What could possibly go wrong?”
The coronavirus kills disproportionately many people who are 75 years and older. Joe Biden’s coronavirus consultant has argued in the past that people over 75 would be better off dead. What could possibly go wrong? pic.twitter.com/O1T1ZXKPts
– Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) November 10, 2020
The Republican Senator for Arkansas, Tom Cotton, tweeted: “The Americans want an opening of our country, not creepy bioethicists who like to play God.
A member of Biden’s new coronavirus task force is an enthusiast who is pushing for a lockdown and has written that it is not worth living after 75 years.
Americans want our country to be open, not scary bioethicists who like to play God. https://t.co/5NnFm4u7u1
– Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) November 9, 2020
Conservative attorney and political analyst Gayle Trotter twittered: “Oops, I guess if flu vaccinations are out of the question for those over 75, Biden’s coronavirus advisor really must reject vaccines and even ANTIBIOTICS for those of the same age.
Yikes, I guess if flu vaccination is out of the question for the over 75s, Biden’s coronavirus consultant must really reject vaccines and even ANTIBIOTIC agents for the peers. ð¤ pic.twitter.com/S8rOOzd3gs
– Gayle Trotter (@gayletrotter) November 10, 2020
Meanwhile, healthcare lawyer Kendall Brown, whose handle describes how she “fights to defeat the Republican supermajorities,” tweeted that Emanuel’s play “doesn’t make me feel very confident that he wouldn’t argue against the value of the lives of the disabled.
The ethicist of the COVID task force of @JoeBidenâs has argued that life is no longer worth living after 75 years, which does not make me very confident that he
