PrintFebruary 5, 2011
ObamaCare vs. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
In response to Monday's ruling from Florida U.S. district judge Roger Vinson, which voided Obamacare in its entirety, a favorite mantra of the left has reemerged with vigor: "health care is a right." This claim is not merely false, but also destructive and tyrannical. Before evaluating whether a particular thing is or isn't a right, the term must be defined. Merriam-Webster online defines a right as "something to which one has a just claim." This definition does not address the question of what it is that constitutes that just claim, but merely indicates that the existence of some such claim is an essential characteristic of a right. It falls upon the science of ethics to determine the nature of rights' claims. In Moral Rights and Political Freedom, Professor Tara Smith defines rights as "moral claims to freedom of action"[1]. Notice that the corollary obligations imposed upon others by the rights to freedom of action...(Read Full Article)
