The “Fruits” of the Health Care Debate

The "Fruits" of the Health Care Debate

While watching the news on CNN recently, and listening to the latest report on what has become a perpetual news item, the Health Care legislation, it occurred to me that there are two simple motivations that the legislators need to focus on.

In our national mythology there is a phrase that Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal would say that they subscribe to. That is that individuals have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The passage of the Health Care bill would go a long way in assuring the first item in that quote; for access to health care would assure more people not only life in overcoming illness but probably a better quality of life. With life one can then pursue the other two guarantees of liberty (freed from sickness) and the pursuit of happiness (note the word pursuit).

The second motivation is one that the legislators, many of whom describe themselves as Christians, would say that they subscribe to. That is the concept that Christians will be known by their fruits (Matthew 7: 20). In general, if one listens carefully to the motivations of each side of the debate, those favoring the passage of the bill will focus on the needs of the individual; especially those without insurance or those struggling to pay for insurance.

On the other side of the issue the verbiage, if not the pictures, speaks to what this will mean for the corporations. Jesus, the individual the conservative Christians at least give lip service to following, while he walked this Earth was found among and serving the least and the lost and was about bringing to account the powers of the world, the civil and religious authorities of his time. The large insurance and drug companies are two of the "powers of this world" in our time who do not want this legislation to pass.

"Thus, you will know them by their fruits." What "fruits" does an individual legislator support; the rights of and care for individuals, as exemplified by Jesus, or the perpetuation of the status quo the influence of the powers of this world, that in the time of Jesus were represented by the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Roman Empire?