This reflection paper examines the author's views on healthcare through the intersecting lenses of Christian faith, conservative political values, and personal experience with Cuba's socialized medicine system. Drawing on biblical passages and the writings of Sarah Palin, the author argues that healthcare is fundamentally a spiritual issue best guided by Christian principles of love, justice, and peacemaking — rather than government intervention. The paper contends that private-sector freedom, charitable giving, and faith-based caregiving offer a more ethical foundation for healthcare than state-run systems, and connects these values to the author's professional identity as a nurse.
Having developed my values within the crucible of a Christian society and household, I feel strongly about the role of healthcare in our society. Being from Cuba affords me personal experience with the pitfalls of socialized medicine. I especially appreciate voices like Sarah Palin's for their willingness to criticize President Obama's healthcare reform package. I have seen first-hand how communism erodes public services, contrary to what the government promises. Cuba under Fidel Castro promised that all its citizens would be served by one of the best healthcare systems in the world — if that were true, I might still be living there. In reality, doctors in Cuba have no access to medicines and other treatment options that are essential for saving lives.
In Going Rogue, Palin discusses her views on healthcare with a frankness that is often absent from American political discourse. In addition to drawing from American conservative politics, my views on the issue of healthcare are firmly rooted in Christian sensibilities.
The Bible offers the most coherent and clear messages about society's responsibilities to care for the sick. "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). As Christians, we are obliged to care for those in need with whatever means are at our disposal. If we have been endowed with financial wealth, we have ample opportunity to share that wealth with the less fortunate through charitable organizations or by helping family members in need of support.
The government is not a spiritual institution in the United States and should stay out of matters such as healthcare ethics. Healthcare is, at its core, a spiritual issue. The Bible frames wellness in terms of a spiritual condition: "Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you'" (Luke 10:9). It is from this spiritual foundation that I wish to approach healthcare as a professional nurse. Healthcare is my duty, and I intend to "freely give" of my energy to heal the sick and reflect my faith through my work.
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