Earlier this week, we reported that several Duggar kids had headed to the Bahamas in order to assist with relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone could be critical of such a move — but these are the Duggars we’re talking about.
Pretty much everything they do is harshly criticized, and to be fair, in most cases, it’s well deserved.
But could such flak ever be justified in a case where the Duggars might be putting their own lives in danger in order to help the citizens of a ravaged island nation?
We’ll present the facts so that you can decide for yourself.
The official Duggar family account recently published the photo below with a caption explaining the excursion:
"John, Jana, Jason, and James took off early this morning with a medical and disaster relief team to the Bahamas to help after the massive devastation from #HurricaneDorian," the post said.
"They’re now on the ground! Please keep the team and all who’ve been affected by this horrific storm in your prayers!"
The crew post took flak for a number of reasons.
First of all, despite the fact that she’s apparently joining the rescue efforts, Jana is not featured in the photo.
It’s something of a petty concern, but it’s significant, considering the Duggars’ history of treating women as second-class citizens.
The more serious issue is the lack of training with which Jim Bob’s kids are entering this situation.
"Not one of you is a licensed doctor, pharmacist, or pharmacy tech," one fan pointed out.
Austin Forsyth has received EMT training in the past, but as he no longer works in the field, it’s unlikely that his training is up to date.
If the Duggars were entering the situation after the dust had settled in order to help rebuild homes, that would be fine.
But they rushed in while the islands were still under siege, and their lack of training could potentially make a dire situation even worse.
Think of how trained first-responders would react if you ran into a house fire in order to help put it out.
What the Duggars are doing isn’t all that different.
And the ill-conceived effort might be part of the family’s latest money-making venture.
The Duggars say they’re traveling with a group called Medic Corp — an organization that appears to have been founded earlier this week in their hometown of Springdale, Arkansas.
In other words, it’s almost certainly a Duggar-branded venture, and many fans fear that Jim Bob’s kids are being deployed as part of a publicity stunt.
"Why not join forces with an established organization like the Red Cross?" one fan asked in the comments.
Not surprisingly, she did not receive a reply.
We all know that whether its courtship rules or real estate ventures, the Duggars like to do things their own way — but in this case, perhaps they should leave things to the professionals and the trained volunteers.
