Americans Unalienable Right to Life
From the United States Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Follow the logic here. This is the logic of the founders of the United States of America, or at least the five who drafted, and the 56 members of the Second Continental Congress who signed to approve, the Declaration of Independence.
There is a Creator.
The Creator endows us with 3 rights.
One of these rights is the right to life.
So if the Creator endows us with rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, can government alter your right to life? Great question! And one the founding fathers knew you would ask, because they answered it, in the same Declaration of Independence, in the next sentence:
“--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Paraphrased. To secure the right to life granted by the Creator, the people may establish a government, and govern those who agree. A government of the people can’t alter your right to life, the government can only ensure your right to life.
Side note, a quote that was common at the time: "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God". Benjamin Franklin proposed the above as the words of the Great Seal of the United States. Our founders definitely wanted to light the world on fire!
Americans; humans even, have a right to life. Your life isn’t a government function. We are endowed by our Creator with the right.
No government of the people can take away the right to life given by the Creator.
Healthcare is a vital component of your right to life. Medical practice can change the length or quality of your life, for good or bad.
Because it’s your right to life, given by an authority over the people’s government, and your healthcare can significantly change the duration of your life, only you can exercise the choice to decide what healthcare is appropriate for you.
Any government law that identifies otherwise violates the unalienable right.
Now that we have the same logic understanding, we can move on.
You have a right to refuse healthcare. Government cannot impose healthcare on anyone who would refuse healthcare. Side note: military members exempt themselves from this right when they elect to exercise their privilege to wear the uniform.
You have a right to choose healthcare, and the government has a responsibility to not infringe on the right of able-minded individuals to choose healthcare.
Let me tell you two stories about Americans who refused healthcare.
Nancy was a grand woman. She was a fantastic chef, and she raised and loved many children and grandchildren. She was out tending to her garden and fell. The doctor’s diagnosis was brain cancer, and said she could elect to have surgery and chemotherapy and potentially prolong her life.
Nancy was 79. She chose to not elect the possible healthcare procedures, and entered hospice instead. She chose to live her remaining days, in her own words, in dignity.
Would it have been appropriate for the government to impose healthcare on Nancy? Certainly not.
Michael is a brilliant medical professional. He had some pre-existing health conditions that made him vulnerable to respiratory infections.
He refused the COVID shots. I don’t know all the details why he refused the shots, and frankly it’s not my business.
Would it have been appropriate for the government to impose healthcare on Michael? No. He has a right to refuse healthcare, and I believe the government cannot impose healthcare on Americans who choose to refuse healthcare. Could his employer require him to get the shots? Yes–because he still has a right to refuse healthcare, even if it means changing employers. Nothing says you have a right to employment on your own terms, but you do have a right to life.
Now two stories about Americans who chose healthcare. The healthcare they chose saved both of their lives.
Don is a hard working blue collar man in Wyoming. I met him during a snowstorm while looking for elk on the Wyoming Range, a mountain range in western Wyoming. Beautiful.
He said he knew something was “off” about his body. He went to the doctor, and his local doctor told him he didn’t have anything wrong with him. He disagreed, as he knew something was definitely wrong. He wanted a second opinion.
To get the second opinion he had to drive to Denver, a several-hour one-way trip. The Denver facility had equipment Don’s local doctor didn’t have. He elected to drive. The doctor in Denver told him about his early stage cancer, and the treatment saved his life.
Would it have been appropriate for the government to tell Don he couldn’t get a second opinion, couldn’t seek additional healthcare? No. We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life. Government cannot violate your right to life.
Jen was pregnant. It would have been her first child, and she was looking forward to the arrival.
In the third trimester the baby stopped moving. She feared the worst and met with her doctors. They confirmed the baby had died.
Jen had a healthcare choice. The baby was toxic for her body and would threaten her own life. The doctors recommended forced labor. Some states would not allow this procedure today as it is induced abortion. Still broken-hearted, she agreed to the procedure to save her own life, and had a stillborn. God has since blessed her with children.
Would it have been appropriate for the government to tell Jen she couldn’t have the healthcare needed to save her life? No. Back to the founders’ logic–we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life. A government of the people cannot violate your right to life, given by the Creator.
All of the above stories are true. The names are changed out of respect for their privacy.
Laws are fallible. Very possibly wrong or incomplete. Healthcare is uniquely individual, and no law will be able to take into account the hundreds of thousands of different scenarios that play into an individual’s healthcare.
There is one possible exception to a law appropriate for Americans. One modeled off the current Wyoming Constitution (Title 97), Declaration of Rights (Article 1), Right of Health Care Access (Section 38):
"Each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own healthcare decisions."
You may personally disagree with someone else’s healthcare decision. They still have a right to choose or refuse healthcare for themselves and those not of age or mental fitness in their care. Because we are Americans, and we are endowed by our Creator with the unalienable right to life. We have the right to choose the healthcare that supports our right to life.
You have a right to refuse healthcare.
You have a right to choose healthcare.
May God bless the United States of America.
