...with some subtle edits by the editor, I think changed the feel of the piece some. I replaced some [words] from memory.
http://theday.com/re.aspx?re=25f61347-d366-4df7-8a89-a2e531c3befc [ Welcome to theday.com ] Wednesday, Aug 9, 2006 Libertarians Embrace Freedom, Responsibility To The Editor Of The Day: Published on 8/9/2006 in Editorial » Letters to The Editor Print This E-mail This Most E-mailed Send Letter Send Correction Add To Cart Increase Text Actual Text Decrease Text The recent court judgment ordering a 16-year-old to receive chemotherapy neither he nor his parents have chosen raises two issues. The first, parents' rights to make decisions for their children, is a difficult one. While we should err on not stripping decision-making rights from parents, in [indisputable] cases of neglect or abuse, children must be protected. The second issue, self-ownership, is clearer. [In a free society,] Ought not individuals to decide what medical treatments are appropriate for themselves, preferably in consultation with an educated advisor? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denies access to non-FDA-approved therapies. Libertarian-minded people see no distinction between this infringement on liberty than property seizures, warrant-less spying and mandatory national IDs. We want the therapies we take to be tested for safety and efficacy. FDA approval standards likely improve the quality and safety of drugs, but the FDA disallows opting-out. Why should someone not be allowed to use a treatment with knowledge it has not been approved [by a public certifying agency]? [Many patients must wait years for potential therapies.] Through aggressive licensing laws we have created a therapy-lag. [Also,] These laws favor larger pharmaceutical firms. The costs of regulations are less easily absorbed by smaller manufacturers, who inevitably disappear, thus eliminating diversity of products, diminishing the quality of our lives. Not all therapies are preferable for everyone. Products more harmful than helpful have been distributed, both FDA-approved and nonapproved. Every right is limited by responsibility to others' equal rights. Manufacturers guilty of knowingly distributing fraudulent information should suffer legal and marketplace punishments, and be held liable for any harm. If we think someone is choosing poorly, we might try to dissuade them from taking a risk, but the decision is theirs and they must bear the responsibility. [Today's government force is both immoral and apparently detrimental]. Libertarian-minded people believe in self-ownership, self-determination and personal responsibility. If you do not own yourself, what are you? Marc Guttman Waterford __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
