Friday, August 7, 2009

HEALTH CARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT

Duccio, Christ Healing the Blind, from the Maesta Altarpiece.

And here is a moral argument for living in something other than a Hobbesian hell-hole where it's everyone for themselves:
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'


Or more simply:
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain answered, "Am I my brother's keeper?" The Lord said, "What have you done?"

6 comments:

uberg-g said...

Amen. Thank you for brining this argument up. Single payer healthcare, from a Christian perspective (and it is probably the same for other religions) is not only a right, it is an obligation incumbant on all to take care of one another other. You will never hear this from the Fundies. They are so afraid that their money might go to the "wrong" people getting the "wrong" treatments, i.e. birth control, abortion, AIDS treatments, etc.

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

Amen, dear Brother!

motheramelia said...

The "righteous" never seem to get the message.

June Butler said...

Of course, health care is a moral issue.

I'm afraid we're going to lose this one. Whatever "reform" bill that is passed will be so corrupted and skewed toward more profits for the health care industry, that it's going to run us broke. The industry is pulling out all the stops to fight this one.

I've had a running "discussion" with one of my cousins, who likes his Medicare, but does not want a "socialistic" health care bill passed.

Counterlight said...

Sensible cautious policy reform might get lost in a sea of corruption, hysteria, and plain damn stupidity.

My dear friends, if this very cautious modest reform bill does not survive the political process, then how do you propose to bring a single payer plan into existence short of an armed insurrection?

If the end result of the Congressional sausage factory is nothing more than a legal requirement to buy into the current system ( with or without any subsidy for those who can't pay for it), then I will oppose this bill.

"Where is your brother Abel?" indeed.

Rick+ said...

     Well said. I'm appalled at the uncivil and threatening tactics being used at town hall meetings about this subject in an attempt to derail positive change.