With the debate about ObamaCare in full bloom one frequently hears supporters say, “I believe healthcare is a right.” This phrase, or slogan if you will, is intended to portray the supporter as a caring individual that is selflessly looking out for the “rights” of others. This slogan is also intended to portray anyone who opposes socialized medicine as an uncaring or mean-spirited person that does not care about the “rights” of their fellow human beings. ObamaCare supporters are all too eager to claim that only the most callous among us would deny this basic “right” to others.
The assertion made by advocates of socialized medicine, that healthcare is a right, is not supported by the Constitution of the United States. Just because a supporter of government run healthcare makes such an assertion does not make it true. While many freedoms and rights are set forth in our Constitution, the right to healthcare is not one of them. This is a salient point to those who understand our Constitution and the intent of our Founding Fathers. Unfortunately there are many citizens who have a different view of the meaning of the text of our Constitution. To them healthcare is a right even though it is not explicitly stated.
The right to free speech means that Congress does not have the authority to pass any laws that restrict my ability to speak freely. The First Amendment to the Constitution states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances..
That Congress shall not pass any law abridging my freedom of speech does not mean that Congress is also obligated to provide me with the means to exercise this right. No where in the Constitution does it say that Congress shall tax my neighbors to provide me the funds to purchase equipment so that I can more fully exercise my right to free speech. No where in the Constitution does it say that Congress shall tax my neighbors so that I can purchase a microphone, speakers, or even a teleprompter! In short, what our Constitution does say is that Congress shall not get in the way of me exercising my right to speak. It is up to me to exercise my right to speak; Congress is not authorized to help me do this.
Now, if healthcare were such a fundamental right then it is likely that our Founding Fathers would have stated something along the lines of:
Congress shall make no law restricting the right of the people to access healthcare.
Our Founding Fathers didn’t write that.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s pretend that healthcare is a right, perhaps contained in the “penumbras” of our Constitution. In fact, let’s say that the implicit “right” to healthcare is as important as the explicit right to free speech. Even with the elevated significance of this new “right” would the Framers of our Constitution have given Congress the power to coerce my neighbors into paying for my crutches or wheelchair? Would the Framers have authorized Congress to take away the right of American citizens to choose their medical care? The clear answer to these two questions is HELL NO!
So the next time you hear the slogan, “Healthcare is a right”, remember the definition of a right in Constitutional terms. Congress needs to butt out and not interfere with the healthcare “rights” of individual American citizens.
© 2009 LimitGovNow. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to LimitGovNow with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.