When Sen. Todd Young isn’t toting around large guns with Oath Keeper members, he sits in Washington with Hoosiers, especially Hoosier women, in the back of his mind.
Todd Young sees women as second-class citizens. This is seen in his lack of support for a woman’s right to choose. According to the 2016 Indiana Right to Life poll, Young indicated he supported a total ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother.
This is the primary point where Hoosiers and Young don’t see eye to eye. A 2019 study conducted by Ball State University reported that only 19% of Hoosiers support a total ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. This number is nowhere near the majority; however, this is not a deterrent for Young.
The second group he fails to consider is Hoosiers with diabetes. Roughly 650,000 Hoosiers suffer from diabetes.
“For the uninsured and those with poor coverage, a month's worth of insulin can cost, on average, $1,000 or more,” Dr. Adam Gaffney, a critical care at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts said in an NBC News article.
In the Senate, Young had an opportunity to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act which would have capped insulin prices to $35 a month. However, it wasn’t in his best interest to vote for it. This is because it would be far less profitable to do so.
According to OpenSecrets data presented in an IndyStar article, Young has received more than 30,000 dollars in lobbying funds from various sources within Eli Lilly.
This shows Young would much rather respond to the pharmaceutical and insurance lobbies that donated roughly $1 million to his campaign than his constituents suffering from diabetes. I’d like to add, the patent for insulin was sold for $1 so that people could be saved not milked for every last dollar they have.
A group Young claims to represent are veterans much like himself.
“In the marine core, we are taught to put America above ourselves,” he said in one of his campaign ads.
You would think that a former marine would at least help those who served. Well, you would be incorrect. Earlier this year, Young voted against the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act which aimed to support veterans that served in the War on Terror, by helping those who served near toxic burn pits get easier access to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The legislation will also streamline getting disability payments as a result of toxic burn pits.
Young said, according to a 13News article, that he is committed to getting veterans easier access to care, however, there are still issues for those with disabilities.
The article also stated that more than 70% of disability claims made to the VA are denied due to a lack of evidence, scientific data, or information from the Defense Department.
The article also said, despite being a veteran himself, Young still voted to strike this one down due to a small clause that had to do with the budgetary measures in the bill. So much for being representative of your fellow veterans.
At the end of the day, Young is elected to represent both you and me. However, given his history, I believe that he has done far from that and, in fact, has done quite the opposite.
Owen Darland (he/him) is a freshman studying international studies.
