Is preserving life worth the loss of individual freedoms?

The debate on health care has once again raised one of the greatest criticisms against those with conservative principles; that they do not care about the welfare of others. That they will let people die so that they can go on living the privileged life they hold so dear. To a degree, I guess, this is correct. I mean the crusade to eliminate death at all cost has always bothered me. I have always felt that if people want to engage in an activity that threatens or shorten their lives then they should have the freedom to do so. But with this freedom comes the responsibility of recognizing the consequences of their actions and if that activity should lead to an early demise then so be it.


This may sound cruel and heartless but only if we limit ourselves to being worried about the people who are inhabiting the planet at this very moment. My concern is greater than that and it expands all of human existence. It comes from the understanding that for most of its history mankind’s story is one of slavery, bondage, and servitude. That those with power controlled the powerless to such a degree that they could, just by their word, sentence people to death. It also comes from the stark realization that it is when individual freedom is sacrificed that the value of life comes to have so little meaning.

Yes, there was Greece, or more accurately Athens, where democratic ideas first took root and then the constitutionally controlled Roman Republic. But it must be recognized that these were anomalies in the history of mankind. The majority of the world’s civilizations, such as those found in the bible, are more known for their records of oppression then they are for freedom (or in today’s terms: Human-rights). Even outside of the bible we see that human life had very little value. Slavery was common throughout the world up until the mid-1800s when the British Empire declared war on the “uncivilized” practice. The sacrifice of individuals for the greater good was seen in its extremity in ancient America where people where ritually killed in order to please an unhappy deity. On one such occasion in 1487 the Aztecs sacrificed 80,400 prisoners in a bloodbath that lasted non-stop for four days.

Of course the argument is that that was ancient history. We have evolved into a more enlightened and sophisticated people. In fact, the 20th century, during which those of us over ten were born, could be called the bloodiest in history. Totalitarian regimes killed hundreds of millions of people and enslaved whole societies. There are people still alive who witnessed the Nazi program that lead to the extermination of 12 million people and the tens of millions more who were to perish in Stalin’s “workers paradise.” The fact is that this will always be the result whenever the principles of individual freedom are sacrificed.

This is why I put “conservative” or, more accurately, American principles over life and welfare. I recognize that what was started in 1776 was an experiment unlike any other in history. True, it did get its roots from the great thinkers of the 18th century Scottish enlightenment (when most of the people of the world were still suffering under some form of bondage) but it took great Americans to put theory into practice. I also recognize that for those living today 234 years seem like an eternity but in reality it is a small sliver of man’s history. A small sliver that brightly shines in all the darkness that preceded it.

So you see, I do care about people’s lives. The difference is that I accept the fact that death is part of living and it cannot be outlawed. That people will make choices that put their lives at risk and they must be allowed to do so. By trying save everyone we run the risk of losing the principles that not only has preserved life but has also made the pursuit of life an alienable right! A right that says that we, as individuals, determine what we want to do with our lives. Finally, by putting the principle of individual freedom above life itself, I do not limit it to those who are fortunate enough to happen to be on the planet at this time. I am preserving it for my children and generations that are to follow. And that, my friends, is greater than life itself!