CFI-LI in Newsday
May 18, 2010
CFI Long island was included in Newsday's April 3, 2010 "Ask the Clergy" Column. Coordinator Amy Frushour Kelly, a humanist minister, was asked to answer the question, "Does the new health care law go far enough morally?"
AFK answered:
It's difficult to give a "secular humanist"
answer to this question because the health care law involves many
variables that have less to do with a person's religious views and much
more to do with economic or political views.
We secular humanists base our morality on goodwill and consideration
of our fellow human beings, so, of course, we want people to be able to
live healthy lives. In this, we are no different from most religious
believers. The difficulty we all share is in determining the best system
to ensure the best health care.
From my personal perspective, I believe every human being has a
fundamental right to have unrestricted, free access to health care,
including birth control, family planning, mental health care and (when
appropriate) the right to die on one's own terms in the face of terminal
illness. To deny or restrict any of these rights is unethical. So,
while the law is a step in a commendable direction, my own feeling is
that it doesn't go far enough.
