As the healthcare debate in the United States heats up, I am reminded of the scene in “The Life of Brian” in which a man demands the “right” to have a baby:
I certainly do not mean to make light of the very real challenges we face regarding health care delivery – our population is aging, meaning more people will need health care services while fewer people will be in the workforce – medical technology is advancing, meaning that we can expect people to live even longer, and these advances are expensive. But having said that, there is still no rational basis to claim that medical care is a “right”. Simply calling it a right will not create health care services. Is this “right” universal? Do people living in remote, impoverished villages in Africa also have this “right”?
As the John Cleese character states at the end of the clip: “It’s symbolic of his struggle against reality.”
So it is clear to me that in very practical terms, health care is not a right. It may be a privilege, or a benefit, but not a right. It is a service, and it is a service that someone must provide, meaning the means and the will must be present for that service to exist.
As Dr. Paul Hsieh writes:
The Democrats’ agenda of “universal health care” is in deep trouble, as more Americans (including many “Blue Dog” congressional Democrats) are growing increasingly uneasy about the costs.
The Congressional Budget Office projects that the proposed House of Representatives plan could cost over $1 trillion dollars, rather than saving money. A similar plan in place in Massachusetts since 2006 has led to skyrocketing costs, long waits for care, and higher taxes, without actually providing “universal” coverage.
But in addition to this economic flaw, there’s also a more fundamental danger to the congressional plan. This plan would violate individual rights on a massive scale by imposing new mandates on individuals, businesses, and insurers, forcing Americans to cede control over their health care to the government.
Ironically, this will be done in the name of guaranteeing an alleged “right” to health care. But President Obama’s claims notwithstanding, there is no such thing as a “right” to health care. Rights are freedoms of action (such as the right to free speech), not automatic claims to goods or services that must be produced by another. Attempting to guarantee an alleged “right” to health care must necessarily violate actual rights.”
Ya just gotta love Monty Python.
Did the world human rights or world court or whatever not grant that it is the right of every humanbeing to have access to basic medical care? The states has a law that no one can be turned down for treatment at any hospital.
The problem is made to look very complex in writing the bills and all but it can be condensed to 2 basic human desires. First is the desire of liberals to be first and foremost in all things as individuals. Each person is more important than the community he lives in. Thus their selfish desires are what keeps this going. They want it and it should be free to them, in their eyes. Second the leftist politicians want nothing more than power and the most power hungry of all to date is that spawn of satan the states voted in last november, Obama.
Basic healthcare as a fundamental human right is good and just. This is far beyond that and even includes abortion as a form of basic medical care?
Obama hasn’t even read the bill but he needs to push it through? Because this will add to the power of the federal government and help erode states and individual rights and freedoms. Like Hitler, Stalin, Mau and every other leftist politician everything Obama does is focussed increasing his power at the expense of the rights of the people.