Today, the Cato Institute is releasing my new book, Your Body, Your Health Care—a defense of your right to make your own health care decisions without government interference.
My book examines health care policy through a lens that presumes liberty and autonomy. As adults, we are sovereign individuals with moral agency who possess our bodies. As a physician, I adhere to an ethical code that values autonomy. I will not perform a test, procedure, or treatment without a patient’s informed consent. And if a patient refuses to follow my advice, I will respect their decision.
Unfortunately, policymakers often ignore the principle of autonomy. They block adults from seeking care from clinicians outside government-approved systems. They restrict access to medications deemed “unsafe” or “ineffective”—even when patients are willing to accept the risks. They penalize nonviolent personal behaviors that they disapprove of and even obstruct harm-reduction strategies that could make people safer.
Your Body, Your Health Care explores the various ways that government undermines adult autonomy and suggests methods to stop this infringement. It calls on members of the medical profession to take the lead in fighting for patients’ right to make their own health care decisions.
You can order my book here and from all major booksellers.
I will be at the Cato Institute on April 10 to discuss the book with Michael F. Cannon, the Cato Director of Health Policy Studies, and Nita A. Farahany, a Duke University Law Professor and bioethicist. You can register to attend in person or online here.
I hope this book encourages more people—especially those of us in medicine—to stand up for patients’ right to make their own choices. I’d love to hear your thoughts.