The U.S. Health Care Crisis: Conscience vs. Force
Written by:
Mary Zennett
I watched with dismay during last year’s health reform debates as the principles of natural health and wellness were not only trampled upon, but decimated. This is after many months of testimony from highly qualified physicians that integrating natural health and wellness into the current health care system would reduce chronic health costs by over 78%! We need to go no further to solve the U.S. health care crisis, yet government agencies-and policies- have all but criminalized the use of natural health products and services- yes, including the nutritional supplements you buy at your local health food store.
And you expect me to trust government run health care?
And what of the entanglements between government, political lobbies and corporate profits? What if, on the basis of ethics alone, I make decisions to chose products and services other than those that are sponsored or run by the government?
Does that place me at risk for being profiled by the government? For making conscientious, ethical choices and decisions about my health care?
In all my years, I have never fathomed witnessing such insanity in our nation today.
I remember during the health reform debates the public outcry by Physicians for a National Health Program. I may remind you, I have agreed to disagree with these docs for years, as they do not yet, anyway, support the use of natural health products and services as a solution to health reform. However, I do highly respect these doctors as colleagues who are totally committed to the care and well-being of their patients. Here from their website is Dr Margaret Flowers:
Frontline Fronts for Corporations, Not the Public – April 16, 2010
By Margaret Flowers, M.D. | Counterpunch
It was with a sense of déjà vu that I watched the latest Frontline documentary about health care. “Obama’s Deal” endeavored to reveal the significant influence of health industry dollars on our political process……..
Yes, there are those corporate entanglements again. And our recently passed Health Reform Bill is full of them. Now we Americans are mandated to purchase private health insurance- with the Internal Revenue Service appointed the watchdogs to make sure we have purchased insurance ‘acceptable’ to government standards- frankly, what does that mean and who, exactly, in the government defines these standards?
Given that no two people are alike, and certainly their health care needs will vary exponentially, can we really expect an impersonal government agency to know what is best for us as individuals? What about these entanglements with corporate profit making at the expense of the American public?
Sorry, the Founding Fathers risked their lives so that this would never happen in this country. And We the People had better stand up and overturn this- before it is too late.
In reality, millions of Americans do a fairly good job of keeping themselves healthy by integrating natural health and wellness along with their conventional health regimes. And with all this drama about health reform, natural health is dying a fairly rapid demise at the hands of federal regulators like the FDA and the FTC. We, the people, must affirm our Sovereignty- within our states and as individuals- and fight for the freedoms to make our own decisions about keeping ourselves healthy- before it is too late.
Many Americans have become comfortable expecting some form of government run health care. This is one of our greatest liabilities as a free people. We have, carte blanche, accepted the false security of government run services such as health care.
In years past, our ancestors relied on themselves and they relied on Our Creator for health and healing. They believed that Our Creator provided everything we need to get healthy and stay healthy.
I can assure you; this outlook is so outside our comfort zones as Americans. Yet, it will likely be our primary recourse if we value our freedom vs. mandated government run health care and standards.
No one is suggesting this is an easy position to take. I will be honest; I work on this attitude towards my own health and healing daily. I look forward to the day when I can be free of any health insurance and am secure, in my own faith, that everything I need for my own health and healing is available to me.
This is but one example where I consider myself a ‘conscientious objector’ to a government policy.
What of the conscientious objector today? I base my choices on ethics, integrity and my right as an individual to make my own decisions under the guidance and direction of My Sovereign God. I wholeheartedly believe this right was granted to me under the U.S. Constitution and understood by our Founding Fathers.
In 1948, the issue of the right to “conscience” was dealt with by the United Nations General Assembly in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It reads: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” And where is the United Nations in protecting my rights as a conscientious objector to current government policies? No where to be found. And it that is true of me, it is true of many millions of Americans whose human rights are being violated daily by oppressive, restrictive and forceful government policies such as those found in the latest government health reform debacle.
I say, No More!
State Sovereignty- and the Sovereign Rights of the Individual- today and every day.
Let’s start engaging in this dialogue, get past our left-right biases and limitations and move forward as a nation, and as a people. I’m ready, are you?
Dr Mary Zennett, liberty advocate, is the author of Health For US All:
The Transformation of U.S. Health Care, 2009.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The views expressed in the above post are those of the individual author only. The article is presented here to foster discussion, and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of the national Tenth Amendment Center.
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This entry was posted on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 at 5:37 pm. It is filed under Uncategorized and tagged with 10th Amendment, health Care, Liberty, State Sovereignty.
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My comments are a bit irrelevant to the overall tone of the story, which I generally agree with, but I feel they need to be made.
1. Decimated…means to reduce by 10%. As intellectual people, can we please quit misusing this word?
2. The UN's headquarters are in the United States. We paid for the building and from what I can tell, we generally pay for all of the upkeep of said building. The UN doesn't have any real authority anywhere and certainly isn't going to stand up to it's host country. It is frustrating, but like you are implying, we can't expect someone else to fight for us. We have to stand up on our own as individuals and communities to effect the change we want to see.
That is all I really have to say. Well written article! I hope more people chose to stand up for what they believe in and get the facts…regardless of which side they may cast their lot with after knowing the real facts.
The healthcare bill has very little to do with healthcare. It's about control. To argue the details, is to deny the sum.
We will lose any privacy that we have previously been afforded. The patient-doctor privacy expectation-gone. Privacy in our health records-gone. Privacy in our choices of doctors, medications, insurance-gone.
Our ability to spend our own money as we see fit-gone.
Our right to self-determination and liberty-gone.
I don't see any point in arguing about what is or is not addressed by this bill. None of it belongs in the hands of a politician.