Transgender Americans
After I get through those questions, how could I say they don’t have the right to make their own healthcare decisions?
I believe in the rights of all Americans.
Thanks for considering my perspective.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
by
John Donne
There’s a lot of noise today, especially by government officials, trying to take rights away from individual Americans.
I have to say this because it can’t be left unsaid. Though I try to interact with others with grace, I also won’t stand by silently when something is important.
I believe in the rights of all Americans.
I don’t normally feel the need to expand that statement, but I’m going to say it explicitly so there is no ambiguity.
Rodeo cowboys and cowgirls are Americans. Pipe fitters are Americans. White, black, Asian, men, women…Americans. There are Muslim Americans, orthodox Jewish Americans, Christian Americans, Satanists (and many other faiths). Straight Americans. Gay and lesbian Americans. Too many groups to list them all.
There are transgender Americans.
Do I understand all their perspectives? No. Not even close. In some cases I don’t even understand their arguments. They wouldn’t understand all of mine either.
But it doesn’t matter if I totally get it.
I believe we are all created equal. I believe the Almighty granted us all with the inherent rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I believe if the government interferes with those rights, the government interferes with the inherent rights granted by the Almighty.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls. In the poem, a person asks for whom the funeral bell tolls.
The poet John Donne’s answer?
We are all a part of humanity. When we lose those around us, we lose a part of our humanity. Our neighbors. Our friends. Our brothers and sisters. And one day the bell will toll for us all.
In the same thread, when one of us loses our rights, we all lose.
Today I might have my rights. But if I find comfort in the bell tolling for someone else, if I ignore those around me who lose their rights, one day the bell will toll for my neighbor. My daughter. My brother. Me.
I believe in the right of Americans to make their own healthcare decisions. This includes transgender Americans. Do I think a doctor has influence in this decision making? Yes—the doctor is a key component of a healthcare decision.
Does a legislature, at any level, have a role? No.
Do other Americans, who might disagree with your right to make your own healthcare decision, have a role? No.
Those decisions are between the Almighty, the individual (or caregiver), and their doctor.
If you believe in the Almighty, don’t you also believe the Almighty has the ability to change the mind of one person if they wanted? The Almighty created us from the dust. Who are we to know what the Almighty tells others?
In my logic I can’t even get to the question, “Should a transgender American have the right to make their own healthcare choices?”, without first getting through these:
Is the person in question an American? Yes.
Did the Almighty grant us all the inherent right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Yes.
In line with their inherent right to life, do all Americans have the right to make their own healthcare choices (along with their caregivers and doctors)? Yes.
Do I believe if they are making the wrong choice, the Almighty has the ability to change their mind? Yes.
After I get through those questions, how could I say they don’t have the right to make their own healthcare decisions?
One last point.
I believe the Almighty charged us to interact with each other with love and grace.
I don’t have to agree with those who would make different choices than I would make. Given a different perspective, I might make a different choice.
I believe in the rights of all Americans.
Thanks for considering my perspective.
May God bless the United States of America.
