Right to Health Care
To define rights and put them in the context of our history and government, the second section of the Declaration of Independence reads, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
These are the three unalienable rights which this country and its government have been founded and built upon. An individual should be guaranteed the freedom to act however they choose as long as it does not infringe on another’s freedom. This is the fundamental concept of rights.
At the heart of the Healthcare issue appears to be confusion around the rights of individuals and the extend of government protection regarding these rights.
Health care is a service provided by doctors, nurses, etc. to any individual for a price.
On the most fundamental level, guaranteeing any individual a right to receive a service infringes on the right of another person who provides the service.
Declaring every individual has a right to access and receive health care, universal coverage, also declares every individual in the healthcare industry, doctors, nurses, etc are required and forced to provide their service. To assert health care rights for the individual seeking the service, asserts individuals providing the health care service have no rights. Another approach is to subjugate individual rights, doctors, nurses, etc., for the “greater good” of society. For idea, the “greater good” of society, leads down the road to communism where the individual exists for the sole purpose of the community.
In all cases, claiming the right to receive healthcare service violates the right of the healthcare service provider. To take away the rights of health care providers, doctors, nurses, etc. enslaves them to the party removing their rights, in this case, the government.
To access and receive health care is not a right, but a desire, want, need or demand. It is a form of enslavement to remove the rights of a group of people. A right to health care is not just or morally right and is inconsistent with the principles this country was founded upon.
Quotes:
In the House of Representatives on Sept 23rd 2009, Ron Paul states, “1.) No one has a right to medical care. If one assumes such a right, it endorses the notion that some individuals have a right to someone else’s life and property. This totally contradicts the principles of liberty.”
Ron Paul states in an NPR interview, “I do not believe peoples’ needs or desires or wants or demands are rights. ”
Source Links:
Declaration of Independence – http://joeyconway.com/f9xdw4
Mises – Involuntary Medical Servitude – http://joeyconway.com/63hqxd
NPR – Ron Paul: Leave Government Out of Insurnace Plan – http://joeyconway.com/r37f5a
House.gov – Ron Paul – More Government Won’t Help – http://joeyconway.com/e53542
Comments
Leslie Bates (Sep 22, 2009)
Excellent article–short and concise. Right on!
KsE91HolyDiver (Jun 26, 2010)
Hey Joey, I don’t want to flame and found your article to be very interesting, well put together, and extensively researched. But that said I have a point of contention I would like you to address. The United States is not founded or governed my the Declaration of Independence, it was governed by the articles of confederation, and when that failed, it was then and now governed by the Constitution. This does not say anything about the pursuit of happiness. Just basic human rights, which part of the Fed has decided includes the right to have healthcare even if you can not afford it. The bottom line is this new healthcare reform bill only affects few people that can not afford healthcare anyway so arguing that it affects the entire United States would be a non sequitur. Again, not trying to flame I promise! I’m just trying to spark a healthy debate and wanted you to hopefully read the point of view of a person well versed in history and government.