In response to Leticia Rebollar’s blog post about free healthcare

In response to Leticia Rebollar’s blog post about free healthcare. I think this a very important topic to discuss. I do not agree that the reason healthcare is not free in the United States is because of its expenses. Even if that were the case, healthcare is a human right according to Universal Declaration of Human Rights and should be easily available to the public. Healthcare is not free in this country because it has been established that by having health insurance every expense is covered when needed. This becomes an issue because these insurance companies are privatized and, like it or not, are in it for the profit and not helping people with their expenses. An even bigger sign that this system is not ideal is the fact that many people can’t afford health insurance and when they do happen to need medical assistance many times go bankrupt to pay for the bills. 

There are many other countries, that although not perfect, provide public hospitals and clinics for everyone free of charge. I agree that doctors and nurses should not work for free, but when going into the medical field one should have a passion for helping others and not go into it looking for money. The United States of America is one of the richest countries in the world and by setting aside some of the money collected by taxes could easily provide a more efficient healthcare system for the people. There are definitely many things about this country that we can take pride in but the healthcare system is not one of them. I agree that is does make the country look bad. 

Like you said, there is no such thing as 100% free healthcare as it is an area that requires investments and a lot of money but I believe that it is a field that should not be profiting off of people’s sickness’ .

How Moral Is It To Be Pro-life?

A bill has been signed recently in Alabama that makes almost every case of abortion illegal. The only exception would be if the mother’s life would be compromised or the baby had a lethal anomaly. The Missouri Senate passed a bill this week as well, that prohibits abortion after 8 weeks (when most women do not even know they are pregnant.)The argument is that if a heartbeat is detected then the fetus is already considered a human being that feels pain. This conservative idea is coming back like a wave confronting the decision of the Senate in the Roe v. Wade case from 1973.

This subject is extremely problematic in many ways. To begin with, the Supreme Court has already established a person’s right to privacy according to the Constitution. There is absolutely no need for a stranger to interfere with a woman’s decision to carry a child she does not want. To make matters worse, pro-life defendants do not agree with abortion even in cases of rape. The idea that adoption is the moral way out is also selfish and harmful. Today there are countless cases of abuse and trauma suffered from children in foster care. There does not seem to be a concern about the already living children that are found in these conditions, without proper care or attention.

If we want to see the potential consequences of these actions we do not need to go far. Many countries where abortion is illegal women go through dangerous procedures to get them done. There are expensive, high risk surgeries that can lead to the death of the mother as the clinics are not regulated, or, at home "solutions" such as pills and physical harm to the mother's body to induce an abortion.

Groups such as Planned Parenthood are threatening to sue but this is exactly what they want. With such a controversial subject the chances of it going to the Supreme Court are high. The people who defend these new laws believe that the newly conservative Supreme Court will reevaluate past decisions about abortion and potentially create new laws against it.

Right now abortion is still legal in all 50 states and these laws will still take a few months to go into effect. The idea that the chances of regression are high puts many women at risk and even questions their authority to their own bodies. It should not be up to the government to decide what a woman can or can not do regarding her life. It should not be a question up for debate, if a woman is unable to care for a child she should have the right to choose what is best for her. An abortion is an expensive and emotionally traumatizing experience and if even then someone considers it to be the best option then they should have the right to do so.  

What is surprising to see is that the same people that are pro-life are the same that are against teaching sexual education in schools. Banning abortion and avoiding the problem all together in the name of morality will only make matters worse. There needs to be a focus on teaching the population the best way to prevent a pregnancy and the possibility of having an abortion in worst case scenarios. Ignoring the amount of time and energy required during a pregnancy is ignorance. No woman should have to go through something so traumatizing because the government refuses to recognize her rights.