In these times of obscenely increasing medical costs, I am surprised that you give favorable publicity to groups/organizations that advocate even higher medical costs with their ill-advised political programs.
I am referring to the Page 1 article April 12 about Baxter International Inc. caving in to the demands of the Service Employees International Union, Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of Charity as stockholders of the firm. Obviously, these groups have a right to agitate for their beliefs, just as I have a right to point out the resulting damage of their ignorant action.
Technically, many medical products have always had alternates to plasticized PVC, but these have never been demonstrably safer, and definitely not cheaper — on the contrary, as much as four to five times more expensive.
Those are the facts. The rest is anti-plastics polemics, which many so-called environmental activists continue to practice.
It is incredible that a labor union and some groups of nuns would use their anti-PVC propaganda to increase the cost of medical care.
Kenneth Virkus
McAllen, Texas