OR Dems declare health care “fundamental right”
Yesterday, the Oregon House held an atypical debate on natural rights, specifically a natural right to health care. The House Democrats successfully referred a bill to the November ballot that would make health care a constitutional right for every Oregon citizen. From the Oregonian article:
House Joint Resolution 100 would amend the Oregon Constitution to make health care “a fundamental right” and order the Legislature to adopt a plan for giving every legal resident “access to effective and affordable health care on a regular basis.”
Voting came down along party lines, with the motion passing 31-29. Republicans opposed the bill and kept asking silly questions like “How can we possibly afford this?” and “Won’t this give the shaft to other social services?” C’mon, guys! You have to dream big. Don’t worry about the details; just go for it. I’m sure everything will work out fine. What possible problems could arise from promising to pay for millions of people’s health care on an already strained budget?
Actually, some of the House Republicans were surprisingly eloquent in their opposition. For example:
Rep. Scott Bruun, R-West Linn, said rights are God-given and “cannot be added to or detracted from by the whimsy of man.” A long list of worthwhile ideals could be called rights, he said.
“Let’s acknowledge health care is important,” he said, “but it is not a right.”
Rights derived from government do not fit with “our notion of natural human rights” that stem “from the natural autonomy of human beings,” said Rep. Linda Flores, R-Clackamas. “If we start with ‘health care is a right,’ what’s next?”
In other news, an eight-old girl introduced a bill in the Senate to make ponies and cupcakes a fundamental right.
