Resistance is Our Rx: Reflecting on Attending The Hands Off! Rally April 15, 2025 Public Health, SFMMS 0 SF Marin Medicine Journal Editor and SFMMS Past President, Dr. Michael Schrader attended the Hands Off! Rally at Civic Center on Saturday April 5th, joined by several SFMMS colleagues. Read his reflections on his experience: I went to the Hands Off Rally at Civic Center on Saturday April 5th, joined by several of our SFMMS colleagues. Similar rallies were held across the country and in Europe. I wore my white coat and carried a sign that read, “Protect our Patients” on one side, and “Stop Healthcare and Research Cuts” on the other. That was as succinct as I could get about opposing the Trump/Musk Administration attacks on public health, world health, scientific research funding, vaccines, reproductive care, transgender medicine, Medicaid and Medi-Cal funding, insurance for pre-existing conditions, and comprehensive affordable medical care everywhere. I engaged with many of the other protesters who carried signs protesting DOGE, tariffs, immigration policy, support for Ukraine, and healthcare cuts. There were caricatures and effigies that portrayed President Trump’s scowl-faced, combed over, corpulent and sour appearance. But I noticed that most of the signs attacked Trump’s anti-democratic and anti-constitutional policies and statements. Similarly, Musk was vilified for his far-right leanings, white supremacist salutes, and dog whistles. Many of the signs were personal and ad hominem attacks, rather than policy based. While I understand the rancor directed toward Trump and Musk, SFMMS has always striven to make policy arguments that are supported by evidence and analysis. One of the challenges with opposing the Trump/Musk agenda is that so much has changed so quickly. Every day there is a different crisis. The second challenge is that there is no rational counter argument to actions that are irrational and spiteful. They are not cutting funding to vaccines, public health, access, and research because it will be an improvement or save money, but rather to harass and punish their perceived enemies and to fuel the culture wars. We can’t argue that their actions will harm the common good because harming the common good is the intent. They are enacting policies that will create economic upheaval, health care failure, government chaos, destruction of the social safety net, and environmental catastrophe. It is not that they believe it won’t happen, they want it to happen. As we saw with the reversal of certain tariffs last Wednesday, there is no plan or strategy, and the Trump administration can’t be frightened by the specter of massive failure. As I reflect on the Hands Off! Rally in San Francisco, I believe, as physicians practicing in San Francisco and Marin, that resistance is our Rx. Comments are closed.
