Efforts to blur the meaning of rights started gathering steam in the aftermath of WWII with a Universal Declaration of Human Rights document put forward by the United Nations (UN). The preamble, which states that everyone should be free from want, is an indication that at some point their ideological train is going to start heading off the rails. It does so at Article 22 by declaring economic, social and cultural rights that cover everything under the sun.
The biggest proponent of a right to health care is the World Health Organization (WHO), a special agency of the UN created in 1948 to address public health issues around the globe. The WHO’s population health approach started out with vaccination programs in developing countries, but over the years their reach has extended into every area of health and medicine worldwide. Their stated objective is the highest attainment of health for all, whereby “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
The WHO drives their agenda by setting global strategies, designating public health priorities and implementing projects and programs. It works with all levels of government, non-governmental agencies and special interest groups to influence and shape health care legislation and policies for universal health care. Some of their buzzwords include: universal access, social accountability, social responsibility, social justice, social determinants of health, evidence-based research, evidence-based science, evidence-based guidelines, evidence-based policies, harm reduction and medical aid in dying.
Under universal health care, your health and health care is viewed through the lens of population health. Let’s face it, government-controlled access to health care is a great form of population control. Universal health care systems use government health care insurance, mandated through legislation and financed with taxpayer dollars, to redistribute wealth for health care based on need and not ability to pay. The needs-based principle doesn’t work in the real world where each of us is a unique individual with countless needs and where there are limited health care resources that cost money. A rights-based approach to health care has proven to be far more successful in convincing people to accept the tenets of universal health care; a task made much easier by changing the meaning of human rights, dignity and equality.
Health care is only one facet of health. The role of government is not to guarantee its citizens a right to health or happiness, but rather to protect and promote rights and freedoms that allow for the individual pursuit of such ideals. Universal health care is a special wolf in sheep’s clothing – from the outside it appears to promote equality, but in reality it devours freedom.
Who says health care is a right?
Not me.
Who says health care is a right? What about the millions of people who would die without it? Last I checked, nobody was challenging the human right to life, so it stands to reason – at least to some people – that the means of supporting life should be included. It’s not about eliminating wants. Human beings are always going to want things they can’t access or can’t afford. I want a new big screen TV – that doesn’t mean I expect my government to buy it for me. It’s rather about eliminating desperate needs that – if they aren’t met – threaten our lives as individuals and our health as a society. People need access to quality health care – esp. those with pre-existing conditions. For them, if they can’t see doctors or get their meds, they’ll die. It’s that simple. And respect for the right to life means one should also respect the right to the means of sustaining life. There are many ways we as a society can provide for that need – but we all must begin by recognizing it first.
I agree with you that people need access to quality health care, but need is not a right.