First Parents, Then Community
Naturally, parents are responsible for their children's health and medical care. However, in cases where parents cannot, or will not, provide for their children, then the community has the responsibility to step in.
The choice to have children engenders the responsibility to take adequate care of them. But we have to acknowledge that there are parents who can not do so, whether because of poverty, illness, disability, death, etc. Even worse, there are parents who will not, again for a multitude of reasons including alcoholism or other addictions, religious convictions, or sheer negligence.
In all of these cases, the wider community should step in to provide health care to its most vulnerable members. This can be accomplished through religious institutions, charities, pro bono work by doctors and other health care professionals, but it seems to me that the best way to ensure that children do not fall through the cracks is a universal health care plan. Private charitable solutions to the problem are, by their very nature, going to be uneven -- alleviating the problem to a certain degree, but still leaving inner city or rural communities lacking in resources compared to suburban communities.
While universal health care might seem to be the government shouldering parents' burdens, this is only part of the story. Parents' taxes would, obviously, represent part of the funding for their children's health coverage. But even more important, parents would still be responsible for ensuring their children take advantage of the health care provided by such a system, choosing primary care physicians and specialists as needed, taking their children to regular checkups and for special care as needed. All that would change is that every child, every legal resident, would have equal access to health care, as opposed to the current situation where poor residents have little or no access, while the rich are able to receive elective treatments, often at immense cost.
It is mind-boggling that in our society Hollywood starlets can boost their busts, trim their tushes, and erase their wrinkles, while thousands upon thousands of children grow up seeing medical professionals only in emergency situations.
A society that refuses to take care of large portions of the next generation is one that is sowing the seeds of downfall for itself. Whether it be in the lopsided educational system, or the uneven health care system, America is condemning whole segments of our society to substandard conditions when compared with their neighbors and fellow citizens. Unfortunately we have short-sighted and selfish policies that harm not only those segments, but the nation as a whole. Children who don't receive adequate education are more likely to be a drain on the nation's resources when they grow up. Children who don't receive adequate health care are also more likely to become drains on our health care resources as poor medical care in youth results in greater health problems as an adult.
That calculation, of course, doesn't even begin to address the potential cost to the child him or herself. It seems the height of immorality, when we have the capability to ensure adequate health care -- or education -- for every individual to then make the choice to allow some individuals to fall through the cracks. To choose personal gain for certain individuals over the welfare of every individual in that society is simply untenable. You might even call it evil.
By
Pamela K. Taylor
|
November 1, 2007; 2:26 PM ET
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Posted by: Concerned The Christian Now Liberated | November 6, 2007 1:33 PM
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Sorry, Concerned, but I don't see Islam as "preventing substantial advances in universal heathcare around the world." In fact, I'd be willing to bet the rent that organizations like Doctors without Borders have Muslim members.
You seem to want to blame Islam for all the ills of the world from international terrorism to global warming to the zit you found on your arse this morning.
Posted by: lepidopteryx | November 6, 2007 11:26 AM
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You Want Morality?
Hmmm, no doubt you voted for Al Gore and are still suffering.
lepidopteryx:
You noted:
"Ms. Taylor addressed the topic question, and did so quite eloquently and intellegently."
Not really, as she failed, as always, to mention her warmongering religion which is preventing substantial advances in universal heathcare around the world.
Posted by: Concerned The Christian Now Liberated | November 6, 2007 11:02 AM
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Only legislation has put in place the moral pillars necessary to make a moral society.
The religions have been a complete failure since the invention of "faith".
Witness that the "good christians" in Southern States stopped lynching blacks as laws were enacted to exact a price IN THIS LIFE for immoral behaviour.
Note that even the "good christian" mormons toed the line when the Great Society legislation was enacted. Now black males can "hold the priesthood". (well as long as they pay their money).
Nooses?
They have never been out of style among the hypocritical, southern and midwestern, "good christian", rednecks; but, Blacks are now protected from these "good christians".
The point.
Legistation is responsible for raising the bar of morality, i.e. conservatives are forced to be moral via threat of prosecution.
Health Care?
"good christians" have done nothing to provide for children's healthcare except as it has provided a tax deduction for the wealthy.
The "inconvienent truth"?
The churches use donations to further their existence, not for charity as Jesus encouraged.
Sadly, an immoral society tends to vote for immoral candidates, e.g. George Bush and the majority of republicans.
Nevertheless, little by little, we achieve a more moral society via legislation (FDR, JFK, LBJ) - not faith (we also lose morality via legislation Hitler, Lenin, Reagan, Bushes 1 & 2).
Posted by: YOU WANT MORALITY???? | November 5, 2007 9:23 PM
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CTCNL:
Ms. Taylor addressed the topic question, and did so quite eloquently and intellegently.
Posted by: lepidopteryx | November 5, 2007 10:15 AM
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I can imagine a world in the future where gods are seen as relics of our weird religious past.We are not yet quite ready,but getting there,especially since the religious insanity of September 11,2001,which no doubt prompted atheists to come out of the closet and add their voices to the current conversation on the relevance of religion.
Those of us who overcame, or avoided,religious indoctrination,are no longer comfortable being silent on this issue,which is the biggest issue of our time.
The supernatural world is the world of our imagination.We have to understand that our imaginings have nothing to do with reality.
The future of our civilization may depend on it.
Posted by: Brian Sharpe | November 4, 2007 9:41 AM
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Victoria, Victoria, Victoria,
To reiterate once again, your warmongering religion is the reason we cannot afford universal health insurance for children. If you are really concerned you would quickly become a moral secularist.
Again we offer our easy Five Step Program that will easily deprogram your Islamic brainwashing. There is no charge or donation involved.
Posted by: Concerned The Christian Now Liberated | November 3, 2007 5:01 PM
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jim dont worry about the liberated christian-
every question, no matter what, gets the same old answer-
Posted by: VICTORIA | November 3, 2007 11:45 AM
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Jim M,
It is all about the realm of reality i.e. first things first i.e. Win the War on Terror i.e. this is our generation's contribution to world peace and finally the opportunity to have health insurance for all the global needy.
Posted by: Concerned The Christian Now Liberated | November 2, 2007 10:43 AM
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Your article is well received. Individuals form governments so as to do together what they themselves cannot do alone---you know, things like the common defense and general welfare of all, etc.
But we have seen what two terms of an incompetent president and his lemmings have brought. Just when a rational mind would think that children are indeed America's greatest treasure, mean-spirited and well-to-do legislators follow in lock-step with a president of privilege bent on preserving a caste system of the wealthy at the expense of all others.
America was the land of the free. America was the land of opportunity. America was about justice and social intergration. America was about....oh, well, .........."
Posted by: crafter48@netscape.com | November 2, 2007 9:13 AM
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Funny how concerned the christian has justly added uninsured children as unwilling soldiers in the fight against terrorism...Islamic terrorism to be exact. Classic case of blame shifting. Reminds me of Hitler blaming the Jews for all of Germany's problems.
The blogger simply hates Muslims. Period. And his/her chosen list of issues to support his/her case is nothing more than intellectual dishonesty, and not very well done.
Posted by: Jim M | November 2, 2007 5:16 AM
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Typical Pamela as she again fails to address the warmongering Islam which is costing US taxpayers dearly and preventing added health insurance for all the needy.
To wit:
Does Kosovo, Bosnia, Kuwait, 9/11, the War on Terror and Homeland Security ring any bells???? Blame war expenditures on the likes of the Iranians and their Islamic terror theocracy, the North Koreans and their Dark Age Communism, the Miloševićs, the Saddam Husseins, the Gaddafis, the Somalians, the OBLs, the Taliban, and the Israelis and Palestinians for believing that God made Jerusalem just for them.
Remove Islamic related issues from the above and what is left??
Posted by: Concerned The Christian Now Liberated | November 1, 2007 5:54 PM
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"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or more attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, "my Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood." (Quran 17: 23,24)
Posted by: Anonymous | November 1, 2007 1:38 AM
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Prophet said
"among all the permitted acts, divorce is the most hateful to God" (Abu Dawood).
Posted by: Anonymous | November 1, 2007 1:35 AM
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Re Muslims for progressive values: Original Islam founded on regressive values?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 31, 2007 2:33 AM
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I'm looking for Islam in this piece.
Divorce is so easy in Islam. One wonders about the fate of children. Mohammad does not make any reference to the fate of children in connection with divorce.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 31, 2007 2:27 AM
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lepidopteryx:
Har, Har!!
I don't blame warmongering Islam for all the ills of the world only those ills caused by the koranic operating manual of said religion.
To wit:
Mohammed (blessed be a zit upon his arse), an illiterate, womanizing, warmongering, hallucinating Arab, also had embellishing/hallucinating/plagiarizing scribal biographers who not only added "angels" and flying chariots to the koran but also a militaristic agenda to support the plundering and looting of the lands of non-believers.
This agenda continues as shown by the conduct of the seven Muslim doctors in the UK, the 9/11 terrorists, the 24/7 Sunni suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the 24/7 Shiite suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the Islamic train bombers in the UK and Spain, the Bali crazies, the Kenya crazies, the Pakistani koranics, the Palestine suicide bombers/rocketeers, the Lebanese nutcases, the Taliban nut jobs, and the Filipino koranics.
And who funds these acts of terror? The Islamic Shiite terror theocracy of Iran aka the Third Axis of Evil and also the Sunni "Wannabees" of Saudi Arabia.