@chadloder I agree with your overall statement but in this case I think the folks who were traveling were unaware of the danger and were seeking elective cosmetic surgery. This doesn't mean that thousands of US citizens don't routinely travel to Mexico for dental and necessary surgical procedures that would bankrupt them in the US: they do. It's just that this case was more of a tragic circumstance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

@isotope239 @chadloder Yes, absolutely, in this case "elective cosmetic surgery." Why...

@jab01701mid @isotope239 Elective cosmetic surgery is healthcare.

@chadloder @isotope239 No, it's not. You are taking a risk for a "cosmetic" reason, by definition. Your life is not at stake, until you decide surgery is worth the risks for "cosmetic" reasons. Different things.

@jab01701mid @isotope239 For many people, "cosmetic" surgery is literally life-saving. Stop this nonsense.

@chadloder @isotope239 Please describe what you mean - if it's "life-saving", it's not "cosmetic".

@jab01701mid @isotope239 Gender-affirming surgery, for one. Rhinoplasty can improve breathing and apnea, a major source of heart attack risk. Breast reduction surgery. etc etc etc

@chadloder @jab01701mid Good point, although that's significant enough that I'm not sure it genuinely falls into the "cosmetic" category. The changes to the person's life as a result, to my way of thinking anyway, represent something deeper than merely "cosmetic".