CV NEWS FEED // In a list of six ways to alleviate student loan debt, the New York Times suggested death as an option to consider.
The Times published the article after the Supreme Court’s decision striking down President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. The newspaper provided a list of ways that “give many federal student loan borrowers an escape hatch” from repaying their debt.
Some of the proffered options were legitimate government programs intended to aid struggling debtors. Options such as “death” and “filing for bankruptcy,” however, struck many readers as going too far.
In response to the backlash, the Times changed the header of the section on death from the original “Death” to “Debt Won’t Carry On.”
“This is not something most people would choose as a solution to their debt burden,” wrote Times columnist Ron Lieber. “Still, if you’re a young adult wondering about the federal PLUS loans your relatives took out to pay for your education, you may be wondering whether the debt dies with the person or people who take it on.”
“It does,” Lieber explained. “The federal government will not make a claim on their estate, and you will not inherit the balance.”
LOOP Editor Joshua Mercer took issue with Lieber’s argument. “While inheriting debt from a parent might be a concern, death as a solution to student debt seems disproportionate,” Mercer said:
No matter the reason for including this “option” on the list, it promotes the idea that the value of human life is subject to change based on external factors. This is why St. John Paul II was a prophet when he said this was a “culture of death.” Society has become more wrapped up in efficiency and productivity, valuing money and possessions over life.
