Duggar Coronavirus Controversy: Why Does the Family Keep Putting Young Kids at Risk?

As a nation, we've been coping with the coronavirus for well over six months now.

That means everyone knows the proper safety guidelines, and those who ignore the rules are doing so intentionally.

The irony about the Duggars and their refusal to adhere to CDC safety guidelines is that the family loves rules in every other area of existence.

In fact, you might go so far as to say this is a family that lives for rules.

Whether it's courtship rules or dress codes, Jim Bob forces his offspring to adhere to an endless list of strict guidelines.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar on YouTube

So the fact that the family seems unconcerned about the dangers of COVID-19 is further evidence supporting the theory that Jim Bob believes the coronavirus is a hoax orchestrated with the goal of helping Democrats regain control of the White House.

Rather than wasting any more time on why Jim Bob supports Donald Trump's re-election campaign despite some glaring differences in their belief systems (spoiler alert: it's all about abortion), let's shift our focus to the latest concern among Duggar fans on Reddit:

Namely, is this family taking any steps to protect the babies and pregnant women in their midst from contracting a potentially deadly virus?

Jinger in Her Mask

While recent procreation hasn't been quite as frenzied as it was during the great Duggar baby boom of 2019, the family remains as focused as ever on the goal of creating more evangelicals.

Currently, Jinger Duggar is pregnant with her second child, as is Joy-Anna.

Some fans are convinced that Joy-Anna has secretly given birth, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Joy-Anna Duggar is Very Pregnant

Anyway, as one of the more "modern" Duggars, Jinger is probably very happy with her decision to put several states between herself and the rest of the Counting On clan, as it seems her parents and siblings are not the least bit worried about the possibility of infecting young children or pregnant women.

In fact, as many fans have pointed out, Jinger announced her pregnancy via Zoom while the rest of her family was gathered at "the Big House" for a gingerbread house compettion.

(Yes, the Duggars are so gaga for Christmas that they host gingerbread house-making competitions in April.)

Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo on Counting On

Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson welcomed their first child in November of 2019, and they were on hand for Jinger's announcement with 5-month-old Bella in tow.

Not exactly sticking to the rules of social distancing there.

Of course, the Duggars are known for trotting out newborns at large gatherings mere days after the little bundles of joy enter the world.

Jinger Duggar Pregnancy Pic

And they do this whether the moms like it or not.

Anna Duggar welcomed daughter Maryella in December of last year, and less than a week later, the baby was making the rounds at an actual Duggar Christmas party.

“Little Maryella Hope made her debut (at 5 days old) for her first #familynight with the big family … and she seemed to enjoy it so much!” Anna captioned a photo from the event.

A Closer Look at 2019

“Our kiddos had a blast getting dressed up and spending time together with everyone while enjoying good fellowship, food and fun!”

Anna can't really be blamed for that one, as while we now know the coronavirus was present in the US in December of last year, there were known cases of COVID-19 yet.

Still fans sympathized with the mother of six, who seemed to have left the hospital and headed straight to a party at her in-laws' house.

Anna and Maryella

“Oh god, Anna looks exhausted,” one Reddit user wrote at the time.

“She gave birth, what, five minutes before this picture was taken? And she was expected to go straight over to her in-laws mansion and keep sweet instead of resting.”

In all likelihood, Anna felt that she had little choice but to put on a happy face and attend the shindig.

Joy-Anna is Pregnant! Yay!

Will Joy-Anna feel similar pressure this Christmas, with her baby just a few months old, and the pandemic likely still in full swing?

If so, we can only hope that she'll stand up for herself and her baby and interact with her family remotely.

Of course, even if she listens to the experts and sees through her father's BS, standing up to Jim Bob is much easier said than done.