WSJ publishes letter from BHI Koch Summer Fellow

Last week the Wall Street Journal published a letter to the editor from BHI Koch Summer Fellow Alex Weckenman. Here's the entire letter:

Messrs. Rivkin and Casey argue that a public healthcare plan violates the privacy rights established in Roe v. Wade. But where is the violation of privacy?

Roe v. Wade.prevents the government from limiting access to abortion on the grounds that the decision to abort is a private matter best left to the woman. That same logic may prevent government from limiting access to the type of treatment that a patient deems most suitable. But the existence of a public plan does not preclude access to private insurance. Those that disagree with the government plan are free to pursue whatever private alternative they choose.

Government restrictions on access to private care are the real privacy rights violations. For example, the ban on interstate purchases of health insurance, like a ban on abortion, limits an individual's autonomy on a deeply personal issue.

Alex Weckenman
Boston