A Stitch in Haste

It's bad enough when nanny staters, such as New York City health commissioner Thomas "Trans Fat" Frieden, take it upon themselves to restrict personal autonomy in the name of curtailing the costs of socialized medicine (or, worse, simply for the sake of the "public good").

But it's far worse when they conscript doctors to do their thuggery for them:

Increasingly, doctors are being called on to serve a policing role by screening their patients for society's ills. Laws have long required health professionals to report injuries from weapons and child abuse, but in recent years doctors have been asked to extend that reach to other areas.

Six states require physicians to report patients who may be unfit to drive, such as seniors hindered by illness. And although unsuccessful after public outcry, federal lawmakers tried to get doctors to notify authorities if they treated illegal immigrants.

Strange, I always thought the function of a health care professional was to provide health care, not police patrols. Going to the doctor — or the school nurse or the dentist or the optometrist or the pharmacist or ... — should be for my benefit, not the government's. A hospital is not a customs checkpoint or central booking.

If the state wants to keep incompetent drivers off the road, then it should simply require recurring driving tests as a prerequisite for license renewals, especially among high-risk groups such as the elderly. And definitely leave the hunt (witch hunt?) for illegal immigrants to law enforcement.

Government agents have no right holding my well-being — or my doctor — hostage for no other reason than to make their jobs easier.

(Via Kevin, M.D.)