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Has Your Health Changed Your Politics?
Someone commented on my Instagram account today with a political party hashtag, even though it truly held no relevance to what I had posted. I was fairly perplexed (what did I write that warranted this out of context comment?), but it also made me wonder…
Do you feel that your health has influenced your political beliefs?
I don’t ask this to start a heated debate or increase party warfare, but to respectfully wonder how healthcare concerns and social hardships have potentially influenced your voting over the years. Perhaps they have not (Maybe it was your family and what you grew up with? Or maybe you avoid politics all together?), or perhaps your body has enormously impacted your beliefs.
I would love to know: Does healthcare matter for you when you vote?
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2 Replies
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Short answer: yes.
Long answer: when it comes to healthcare, I could be a single issue voter. I also care deeply about other issues, but this is one that matters tremendously to me. I once heard something along the lines of, “it’s easy to ignore politics when your life has never been politicized.” Time and time again, I’ve felt that my very existence is somehow a political issue. Things like my right to healthcare, the worth of my life (which has been deemed “unproductive” by some because of my disability status), and a variety of other issues are constantly being argued. Because of this, I am acutely aware of others whose lives are also being used in political warfare. My belief system (political, spiritual, and otherwise) has been greatly shaped by my personal health struggles.
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In 1976 in the Senior Staff Common Room of Egerton College in Kenya we had a great discussion comparing the political setup in Australia (2 major parties) and Kenya (one party).
I commented about the main Australian parties “Liberal’s lousy and labor is no better”.
In the years that have past all I can add is “They have proved it!”.It is often said of many professions/trades “those that cannot do, become consultants” – or should we say ‘become politicians!’
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