In all the talk about health care these days, there seems to be an assumption that there is a right to (free) health care. That's a curious notion. Right (noun) Something to which one has a just claim, such as:
Do you have a right to health care?
If so, where does this right come from – where does it originate? From God? If so, that will be problematic (see questions below). Besides, "you" likely don't believe in God anyway. From man? True rights are timeless and universal. If a right derives from man, then the right is, by definition, fickle, and can be granted or revoked at the whim of said man and therefore can't be a right at all. If you have a right to health care, how much health care do you have a right to?
Other troubling questions:
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness Compare true rights to the myth of a right to health care. In the historical context, one can pursue life, liberty, and happiness to the ends of the earth, limited only by one's capacity or when one reaches the point where pursuing one's rights infringes on the rights of others. How far can you get pursuing (free) health care before you infringe on the rights of others (either directly or indirectly)? Sadly, not very far... Conclusion Clearly, by any rational meaning of the word, there is no right to health care (free or otherwise). You have the right to pursue whatever health care that may be available to you. You have the right to buy whatever health care you can afford, to ask for charity in the form of health care, or to take advantage of any health care services that others choose to provide for free. But you have no right to make demands of the health care talents and services of others, either directly or indirectly.
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Freedom Jack
God | Family | Country Archives
January 2020
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