"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."
Hopefully you will recognize the words above from the Declaration of Independence. They are important words and the document that they were written on is, perhaps, the most important document in the history of this country.
If life, liberty, and happiness are indeed important, then it stands to reason that health, which dictates the quality of our life and determines our ability to enjoy liberty and pursue happiness, is equally crucial to our welfare.
Therefore I contend that among the self evident truths implied in the Declaration of Independence is an unalienable right to good health. In a civilized society we should all be looking out for one another, taking care of those who are sick or suffering, those who are hungry and destitute, those who are weak and elderly. Not only is this right implied in our nation's Declaration of Independence and Constitution, but it is also repeatedly mentioned in the Bible. Consider these three examples:
"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy." - Proverbs 31: 8-9
"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute." - Psalm 82: 3
"He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right." - Job 36:6
More recently the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has been quoted as saying, "Health is not a consumer good, but rather a universal right, and therefore access to health care services cannot be a privilege."
If Jesus Himself did not believe that every man, woman and child had the right to good health then why did he heal the leper, the blind man, the paralytic, the man with the speech impediment, the man with the withered hand. Why did Jesus heal virtually everyone who came to him with a sickness, disease or infirmity? He must have felt that good health was the right of all people. If He felt that way, then shouldn't we?
Why is it that the Republican party does not believe this? A larger question, and one even more egregious in my estimation, is why do so many conservative "Christians" support the Republican party when the Republican party's callous disdain for the rights of the poor, the sick and the elderly are so obvious and pervasive? How can people who claim to follow Jesus marginalize the weakest and most vulnerable in our society and judge them as unworthy of the right to adequate health care? These same people support a political party that would take billions of dollars away programs designed to lift up the poor and cure the sick in order to provide more wealth to the wealthy. How can that be justified in any way, shape or form? The Bible is also quite clear about the evils of supporting the wealthy at the expense of the poor.
Every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income. The time is long past for a single payer, universal health care system in the United States. The time is long past for the United States of America to catch up with the rest of the modern, industrialized, civilized world.
Other nations, such as Canada, Australia, and virtually all of Europe, have long provided universal health care with good results so there is no reason to believe that it cannot work here. In fact, the only real hurdle to achieving health care for everyone, and better health care overall, is a stubborn, suppressive, and regressive Republican party and it's misguided pseudo "Christian" followers who will do anything that they can for the rich while doing virtually nothing for "least of these".
