OPINION: Talk of the Town

Pregnant moms need treatment, not stigma

I am a maternal fetal medicine physician and have been caring for pregnant people including those with substance use disorders for over eight years. I share my concern with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham regarding the recent senseless deaths of two infants. We want to keep children safe and prevent child abuse and neglect. That said, I disagree with Lujan Grisham’s new directive that will prohibit hospitals from discharging infants exposed to substances and instead transfer custody to our state’s Children, Youth and Families Department for 72 hours.

I am opposed to this directive for several reasons but primarily:

This will marginalize pregnant people using substances from accessing prenatal care, which will have the opposite from the desired effect. Instead of creating safer environments for infants, these pregnant people may fear accessing prenatal care, or withhold important information regarding their current or previous substance use knowing it may be used against them. Patients that regularly access prenatal care have better pregnancy outcomes for both themselves and their infants. Instead of stigmatizing patients with substance use disorders we should be directing our resources to treatment both during pregnancy and postpartum.

Children and their families of New Mexico deserve more resources to ensure we do not have more infant deaths and to prevent children from living in unsafe environments. The solution, however, is not a blanket 72-hour hold on all substance-exposed infants. Our community deserves a more thoughtful approach to ensure we are improving the lives of these children not alienating more people with substance use disorders. I want lawmakers to know that treatment of substance use disorders is part of comprehensive medical care and is essential to healthy pregnancies. We must double down in committing our resources to caring for this population and avoid punitive approaches that will only worsen outcomes for all.

Amy Schumer

Albuquerque

Schools need to teach irrigation, farming

The Middle Rio Grande Valley has a deep and enduring connection to land and water. As we look ahead, the future of our agricultural traditions depends on how we engage and educate the next generation.

That’s why it’s troubling to hear that funding for the student farming internship at Rio Grande High School may be at risk. These programs are more than educational — they are essential. In the face of drought, water scarcity, urbanization and changing agricultural realities, we must invest in youth as future land stewards and food producers.

This year marks the centennial of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District — a time to reflect on a century of delivering water to valley farms and sustaining acequia traditions, and to imagine the next hundred years. What will agriculture look like in 2125? The answer depends on what we do now.

At MRGCD, we’re proud to support agricultural curriculum and opportunities in our schools. At Valle Vista Elementary, we’re helping establish the first outdoor acequia classroom, giving students hands-on experience with irrigation and farming. At Polk Middle School, students are growing a thriving garden — and, along the way, cultivating leadership and environmental stewardship.

These are not extracurriculars. They are vital lessons in resilience, sustainability and connection to place.

We urge Albuquerque Public Schools, state leaders and community partners to continue funding these critical programs. If we want agriculture to remain rooted in the middle Rio Grande Valley, we must start with our children today.

Let’s honor our past and grow a shared future — together.

Casey Ish

Albuquerque

Trump spending bill will be bad for NM

In the July 20 Sunday Journal, Jeff Tucker selectively chose his facts in order to claim that Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is beneficial to New Mexicans. His selectivity left out some very important facts.

The tax benefits for tips and social security do not apply to all who work for tips or who are on social security. So not all New Mexicans working for tips or on social security will benefit.

More importantly, the Medicaid and SNAP cuts in the bill are going to be harmful to not only those currently receiving benefits but also to many other New Mexicans as well.

The Medicaid cuts threaten the very existence of hospitals in Taos, Grants, Gallup, Socorro and other cities in New Mexico. If those facilities close, not only will health care for Medicaid clients be impacted, but all citizens in and around those facilities will lose access to medical care as well. In fact, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, of Missouri, who voted for the bill, has already introduced legislation to delete these Medicaid changes because he realizes the tragic impact the bill will have on Americans.

Finally, many New Mexico families already suffer from food insecurity. Further cuts to SNAP will not only increase food insecurity but also impact the development of our children who will go to school hungry, put strain on our food banks, and impact our state budget which will be forced to find other ways to assure the safety of New Mexico families.

I am glad that Mr. Tucker will benefit from the Big Beautiful Bill. However, the unfortunate reality for a great many New Mexicans is that this is really a Big Ugly Bill that will create significant challenges and pain for New Mexicans.

Arthur Flicker

Albuquerque

JFK shrugged off satire, laughed along

Hearing that CBS is getting rid of funny political satirist Stephen Colbert, I got to thinking about Vaughn Meader and President John F. Kennedy. Meader was a JFK impersonator, stand-up comedian and created a 1962 record album, “The First Family,” with other impersonators of the Kennedys, that had the sales record until surpassed by The Beatles albums. Meader poked fun at the president’s Boston accent and comments, his family’s events and looks.

What did JFK think of the impersonators and their album? He found it hilarious. He once told a meeting that Meader was busy that evening so he gave out copies of the album as Christmas presents. There was no threat that Meader, or his writers, could be prosecuted for making fun of him or silenced by JFK’s corporate friends. It would seem Kennedy was sure of his own identity and did not need the constant reinforcement of admiring words or worshipful actions. Similarly, in more serious matters he often had two people working independently on thorny issues, saying he couldn’t afford to rely on just one piece of advice.

Imagine if the current president had those characteristics instead of a King Lear-like penchant for flattery equaling good ideas and advice? And, yes, the fun-poking stopped after Kennedy’s death. Which was the right thing. But when he was alive, he behaved admirably by not mistaking himself for some kind of idol.

Lately, Mike Pence is being commended for doing that. Politics does make strange compadres.

Evelyn Feltner

Albuquerque