Tucked into a story about a bill to let Oregon voters decide whether health care is a right was a stupendously ill-informed assertion by a Republican legislator that rights are god-given:
The vote was a victory for Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, the chairman of the House Health Care Committee who has trying for three years to help the uninsured.
During debate, Greenlick described how he would have lost his battle with lymphoma, now in remission, if he had not had health insurance. That so many suffer for lack of health care is unjust, he said.
"Rights are the products of wrongs; they come from human experience, particularly experience with injustice," he said.
But Rep. Scott Bruun, R-West Linn, said rights are God-given and "cannot be added to or detracted from by the whimsy of man." A long list of worthwhile ideals could be called rights, he said.
"Let's acknowledge health care is important," he said, "but it is not a right."
Rep. Bruun, thanks for showing why religion has no place in politics. This is one of my favorite subjects, which I blog about regularly over on my Church of the Churchless (here's an example).
How the heck is it possible to say that rights are god-given? For one thing, which god? Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist?
Every religion has its own conception of right and wrong. And of god.
If Rep. Bruun were Hindu, he might well be arguing that not killing animals for food is obviously a fundamental extra-human right, so vegetarianism should be favored by the body politic.
Further, even if we choose one religion over all the others (leaving aside the unconstitutionality of such an action), decisions have to made about which tenets of that faith should be accepted or rejected.
The Bible condones slavery and genocide, among other affronts to human dignity from our more enlightened 21st century perspective. How do we pick and choose among the many injunctions in the Old and New Testaments, many of them certifiably whacko?
So Rep. Greenlick is correct. Rights come from humans, not god. If Oregonians want health care to be a right, like education, voting to make it so is our right also.
Here's a nice discussion of god-given vs. human-given rights. As it says:
Myth: Rights are natural, inalienable, God-given and self-evident.
Fact: Rights are social constructs.
Good comment, but don't forget the famous quote from JFK's inaugural address when he said: "The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God."
Posted by: | February 25, 2008 at 04:12 PM
It would be ridiculous for me to think that the only reason that I am allowed to think is because people got together and said that it is okay for people to think. I will think regardless. I know that within my being I have the inherent right to think. Since I don't believe in a supreme being, I obviously don't believe in "god-given rights" but natural rights? Yes. If I have to pee, I pee. Maybe people can get together and reasonably say that I can't pee out in the middle of the street, but if they get together and say that I can't pee ever, I will pee regardless. I believe that I have the inherent right to pee. There are many things which I feel I have the inherent right to do, like self-defense. If somebody swings their arm to hit me, I will raise my arms to try to block the blow. Maybe people can get together and reasonably say that I can't use deadly force unless my life is at risk, but if they get together and say that I must keep my hands at my sides if I am attacked, I will raise my arms regardless. I have the inherent natural right to raise my arms if I am attacked.
Posted by: CT | January 19, 2009 at 06:38 PM