So? I realize you're not saying anything negative, but let's remember that she was there in the middle of a terrifying epidemic, helping people.
I'm not particularly religious, nor am I a Christian, but I don't feel the outrage that so many others do online about missionaries. To the contrary, I have a deep appreciation for anyone helping people in the midst of medical emergencies, regardless of motivation.
Now, do I think that American Missionaries, or any ex-pats, should have priority medical care over others, particularly local medical staff? That's the real issue here. What were the criteria for finding patients?
> Now, do I think that American Missionaries, or any ex-pats, should have priority medical care over others, particularly local medical staff? That's the real issue here. What were the criteria for finding patients?
While I share the same general sentiment, and I don't know what laws the US has about quarantining people, I think the big factor to keep in mind here is that as American citizens, they have every right to return to the US -- they just happen to be returning for medical treatment. Whereas foreign nationals with infectious diseases (much less Ebola) could be turned away as a matter of routine.
Did you see that much outrage in my comment that you had to reply?
> Now, do I think that American Missionaries, or any ex-pats, should have priority medical care over others, particularly local medical staff? That's the real issue here. What were the criteria for finding patients?
I don't think any officials considered that. They have just airlifted her because she was helping the sick - i.e. she was more of a nurse than missionary.
I'm pretty sure she and the other doctor were airlifted because they were Americans. The other high-profile doctors who have caught the disease haven't been evacuated to the US for treatment, because they're Africans.
Medical missionaries are a real thing. "Missionary" is a pretty broad term, and "evangelization through works" is the focus of a lot of missionary work. Not all missionaries are involved in preaching as such, and even fewer are exclusively involved in such work.
