There are days when the world is just too complicated for words.
I’d been considering writing a blog entry on that Health Group that recently did a study on how much salt is found in the food of certain restaurants. They declared that the restaurant food is unhealthy. Ok, I appreciate the information. But then this Health Group took things a step further. They began calling on the government to regulate the amount of salt in our food in order to protect us.
Hold on. Wait a minute. I’m all for the government protecting the citizenry but this isn’t like unsafe cars or lead in our paint. This is salt in our food. This is about me being able to say: “Nope, that’s too salty. I’ll have the steamed vegetables instead.” Or, rather, what most people tend to say: “Can I get a double helping of that and hit me with a couple of slices of extra crispy bacon.”
It’s not like I can’t tell it’s salty. It’s not like I don’t know that too much salt can lead to high blood pressure. It’s about me choosing, as an adult, to do what I feel is best for me. When did I surrender the ability to think for myself? When did I become too stupid to make my own choices?
I know that this Health Group is only thinking about the public good but there comes a time when we should all take responsibility for ourselves and simply say: “Hey, I made the decision and I’ll live with the consequences.” It’s not like you have to eat at these places. It’s not like they don’t offer healthier alternatives. It’s about letting us make our own choices.
I thought that was pretty much that until I heard about the case of a Minnesota boy who is suffering from cancer. His family, due to their religious beliefs, has opted to not have him treated with chemotherapy. His doctor says that with therapy he has a 90% chance of survival. Without it, his chances drop to 5%. Social Services got involved and took the parents to court saying that the boy was being “medically neglected.” A judge ruled today that, pending an exam, if the boy’s cancer hasn’t improved, the boy will be forced to undergo chemo.
Wow, what do you say to that? Is this like the salt issue? Is the government stepping in to tell us what is best for us and ignoring that we have a right to decide that for ourselves? Does a thirteen year-old boy have the ability to understand his situation and make a choice that takes into account ALL the issues? Do parents have the right to make a life or death decision for their child based on how they believe God wants us to live? Does society have the right to say: “You’re crazy! We know better than you and we’ll force you to accept medical help even if you believe it is wrong.” Especially when so few many of us still argue over matters of faith?
I would like to slap those defenders of the public health for suggesting that the government regulate our food because I can’t be trusted to make my own decision. I also want to look deep into the eyes of those parents and convince them that, with all due respect to their beliefs, God wants us to do everything we can to save the life of their child and that they should surrender their religious certainty in favor of his continued survival.
So here I am, between the rock and the hard place. Can’t argue one case and not the other. Can’t claim one position and then abandon it.
This is why I write fiction. It’s so much easier when you can decide the outcome, when you always know what’s right. When the worse that can happen is the reader considers you dull.
