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My complaint with your assertion is this one. > And the left says: "Health care is a human right." And they're right. Probably they are, but what people don't
by bmelton 13y ago
My complaint with your assertion is this one.
> And the left says: "Health care is a human right." And they're right.
Probably they are, but what people don't pay enough attention to, IMO, is that there are different kinds of human rights. There are positive rights, and negative rights. The left wants for human rights to be considered positive rights, in that the state (or others) are obligated to provide them for you. The libertarians want more rights to be considered negative rights, which is to say that that state should be disallowed from intervening in your pursuit of them.
The Constitution establishes that the right to keep and bear arms is a human right, but nobody on the left (and probably nobody on the right) would suggest that the state is now obligated to provide firearms to those who want them. Similarly enumerated is the fourth amendment right to privacy, but nobody on either side seems to be jumping to ensure that the state provides that for us.
Why then is healthcare the exemption? Why is it the right that the state must provide to us?
I don't know if we should or shouldn't have it, or what systems are workable, and what systems aren't, so ignoring all other political arguments that apply here, I only take issue with the idea that even if it as a human right, that should obligate somebody to ensure that we have it, especially as it's only a small leap away from getting everybody to agree that the internet is a human right, access to a computer is a human right, etc., etc. And it's not so far-fetched, as there are already those suggesting it.
For what it's worth, I don't disagree with the premise that it is.
Your comment was salient though, and thoughtful, and definitely got my upvote.
- wpietri 13y agoHealth care is definitely not the only positive right. Off the top of my head, public education and voting are two. Public safety comes to mind, as does disaster relief. Children have a great variety of positive rights where the state backstops parental providers. Those accused of crimes have the right to a fair trial. You could argue that a lot of regulatory activity comes from rights. E.g. a right to clean air, or a right to access a fair and free marketplace. And that's just in the US. the UN Declaration of Human Rights includes "food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control." I expect that many European governments see those as rights as well.
- bmelton 13y agoPublic education is certainly treated as one, and that's an entirely fair point in diminishing my uniqueness assertion on health care. Voting is, at least the way I'm thinking of it, not necessarily one though. The state's job on voting rights is simply to ensure that it and nobody else interferes with your exercise of that right. Your other points stand as stated.
- wpietri 13y agoThanks! The way I see voting as a positive right is that it's a lot of work to implement. Keeping people from interfering with your right to vote is definitely part of that, but a small part. The actual holding of elections, which takes a lot of time and money, is something the state does because people have a right to it.
- iambateman 13y agoInteresting. I haven't seen that statement. Geez, their human rights declaration is pretty broad. "you have a right to security in the event something outside your control happens." But it's the UN...not really accountable to anyone.
- iambateman 13y agoI like this perspective. Essentially you're removing the state from it's position as "arbiter of human rights." Just because I have a right to something doesn't mean the government should provide it. Many Americans believe that all human rights should be equally available to everyone. (Entitlement, I suppose). Education reform leads to "common core" in an attempt to give everyone the same education. Which is why many people would take issue with what you're saying. Health care isn't equally available to everyone. (though I'm not sure giving everyone the same education, or health care is a good idea at all) Thanks for your thoughts.