The Humanity of Providing Care to Immigrants

As the health care issue heats up and becomes more political than humanitarian, who qualifies for care has become a pivotal issue. How this is resolved may mean the difference between the success and failure of this effort. And so, the issue of providing care to illegal immigrants is one that is in the middle of this battle.

As I see it, Americans don't want to pay for the health and well being of illegal people. But actually they are fighting this proposed changed because they don't want to pay for the care of legal people either. No one wants to believe that they sould be responsible for the care of anyone other than their family.

I live in the Deep South; a southern Baptist area which professes kindness and love to all. But at the same time it is extremely conservative. Change comes very slowly and is hard won around here. I, being a native New Yorker, don't fit very well. But being here gives me a chance to experience for myself strong differences in my own opinions. And I often struggle to appreciate those differences. Here, opinion is strongly against providing care to illegals.

I am a Mental Health professional with a private practice so health care reform is a serious issue for me, professionally as well as personally. But as a human being who considers herself to be more humane then political I know I could not bear the pain of knowing a child died or was damaged for life because they were illegal in the country they resided and were denied care. Emergency room care may be available for all in a crisis, but most medical needs are not met during a crisis. And good care means preemptive care. Growing children need good medical care to grow into healthy adults no matter if they are legal or illegal.

Other services, like Head Start, are already creating programs to address the needs of children of illegals and migrants. As a compassionate and caring country we cannot let the health of children be unaddressed. And we cannot leave it to the not-for-profit arena to come up with the funds to address this.

If the illegal immigrant issue provides care for children and excludes adults, and if this exclusion would help the health care bill to pass, then as an American, a therapist, a mother and grandmother, I would urge people to approve of it.

It's unfortunate that this issue has become so partisan. Illness knows no political party. Every life is precious no matter what country it was born in. I hope the American people wake up and realize that our country has the potential to set the standard for humane treatment of all people and if we fail to do so it will be a reflection of our true bias and lack of sensitivity to all, not just illegal immigrants.