In considering the proposed situation that most children could not survive the threat of a mutated swine flu virus without the intervention of new antiviral drugs, it is interesting to consider what the moral considerations of the United States should be. In aiming to guarantee the survival of all people around the world, the promotion of health care must be a vital concern of the public United States government as well as private companies. Although this specific case deals with the threat of a virus to children, it is true that all individuals, adult and child alike, are deserving of the best and most effective possible protection and health care.
If most children were mortally threatened by a new swine flu strain, it would be the responsibility of the United States government to ensure that all parents and caregivers across the world receive the necessary antiviral drugs for their children. Parents of children with private health insurances, public health insurances, and no health insurance would be mandated to receive the drugs for their children. Government would not assume the role of the parent and take direct action with the children, yet all parents and caregivers would be mandated to receive the drugs to administer to their children. It would also be appropriate to mandate that all health care providers witness that the parents and caregivers actually do administer the drugs to their children, in order to ensure that all children are immunized.
In regard to the private drug companies, they could not refuse to make the drugs or attempt to price the antiviral drugs at high rates. If the drug companies were not compliant with government regulations, then the government would have to take over the entire operations of the private drug companies in order to provide all global families with the necessary antidotes. If there was absolutely no possible way to produce enough drugs for all people, which is highly unlikely, then it would be appropriate for there to be a transparent international lottery for the distribution of the drugs to random families in countries around the globe, with socioeconomic status playing no part. When it comes to something as necessary as survival and health care, there are no excuses to be made for profiteers.
The values being honored in this plan for treating the children at risk of being infected by this new strain of swine flu are the values of community, survival, life, humanity, benevolence, philanthropy, and love, among many others. The need to care for oneself and ones neighbor outweighs the values of autonomy, independence, and liberty. When it comes to deciding whether oneself of ones neighbor should be saved, should live or die, then the answer must always be to choose life. To willingly allow oneself or others to die, knowing that they could have been saved by community effort, attention, and nurturing, is not very short of murder. Perhaps this should even be classified as a type of murder, in order to uphold the true sanctity of every human life.
There are certainly people who may disagree with government intervention, who value stoic independence and autonomy over loving teamwork and cooperation, yet the fact remains that people would die without the concerted efforts of politicians, health care providers, parents, and caregivers. It is not alright to slack off of being devoted to oneself and ones neighbors, to act as if one soul is expendable. When one soul is able to be sacrificed without care, to be ignored as somehow insignificant, then there is no one left of any true full worth. One of the primary focuses of the United States government is to ensure the life, liberty, and happiness of all people, and it is very fitting that life is the value which comes first.
If most children were mortally threatened by a new swine flu strain, it would be the responsibility of the United States government to ensure that all parents and caregivers across the world receive the necessary antiviral drugs for their children. Parents of children with private health insurances, public health insurances, and no health insurance would be mandated to receive the drugs for their children. Government would not assume the role of the parent and take direct action with the children, yet all parents and caregivers would be mandated to receive the drugs to administer to their children. It would also be appropriate to mandate that all health care providers witness that the parents and caregivers actually do administer the drugs to their children, in order to ensure that all children are immunized.
In regard to the private drug companies, they could not refuse to make the drugs or attempt to price the antiviral drugs at high rates. If the drug companies were not compliant with government regulations, then the government would have to take over the entire operations of the private drug companies in order to provide all global families with the necessary antidotes. If there was absolutely no possible way to produce enough drugs for all people, which is highly unlikely, then it would be appropriate for there to be a transparent international lottery for the distribution of the drugs to random families in countries around the globe, with socioeconomic status playing no part. When it comes to something as necessary as survival and health care, there are no excuses to be made for profiteers.
The values being honored in this plan for treating the children at risk of being infected by this new strain of swine flu are the values of community, survival, life, humanity, benevolence, philanthropy, and love, among many others. The need to care for oneself and ones neighbor outweighs the values of autonomy, independence, and liberty. When it comes to deciding whether oneself of ones neighbor should be saved, should live or die, then the answer must always be to choose life. To willingly allow oneself or others to die, knowing that they could have been saved by community effort, attention, and nurturing, is not very short of murder. Perhaps this should even be classified as a type of murder, in order to uphold the true sanctity of every human life.
There are certainly people who may disagree with government intervention, who value stoic independence and autonomy over loving teamwork and cooperation, yet the fact remains that people would die without the concerted efforts of politicians, health care providers, parents, and caregivers. It is not alright to slack off of being devoted to oneself and ones neighbors, to act as if one soul is expendable. When one soul is able to be sacrificed without care, to be ignored as somehow insignificant, then there is no one left of any true full worth. One of the primary focuses of the United States government is to ensure the life, liberty, and happiness of all people, and it is very fitting that life is the value which comes first.
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