Essay on Comparing Liberal & Conservative Views on Health Care & Immigration: Moral Foundations Theory

Compare and contrast how liberals v.s conservatives would use Care and Harm moral framework to discuss health care and immigration in American politics.

Moral foundation theory was formulated by some group of cultural and social psychologists to explore why morality may tend to vary across cultures even though it still shows several recurrent themes and similarities (Bodenheimer, 2005). Precisely, the theory presupposes that there are specific universally acceptable or innate systems that are the foundations for intuitive ethics. However, both the conservatives and the Liberals display different viewpoints to the moral frameworks, especially when addressing matters such as health care and immigration (Conway III et al., 2016). Therefore, this paper shall compare and contrast how liberals and conservatives would use the Care and Harm moral framework to discuss health care and immigration in American politics.

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The care/ harm is a foundation that is relevant to our long evolution as mammals with the ability to feel the pain of other people as well as possess the attachment systems (Graham, Haidt & Nosek, 2009). As such, harm/care foundation underlies virtues such as gentleness, nurturance, and kindness (Bodenheimer, 2005). In the field of health care provision, the Liberals believe that it is only the governments (although they are in most cases corrupted by money and power) that are the social institutions that are capable of striking a balance between the various needs of an individual as well as the entire community (Conway III et al., 2016).

Healthcare

The liberals, for instance, begin by appreciating that health care needs to be an equal right of everybody. Based on the moral foundation of care and harm, liberals believe that the government has full responsibility for caring for the citizens through the provision of the necessary health services (Conway III et al., 2016). The liberal health care belief is anchored on two aspects i.e., the utilitarian aspect that guarantees healthcare services to increase the welfare of many people, as well as the social justice argument by Rawls that implores that healthcare, is a right since it promotes equality of opportunities to all the citizens (Bodenheimer, 2005).

As such, the Liberals believe that the government has the ultimate mandate of alleviating the social ills and protecting individual rights and civil liberties. The government ought to ensure and guarantee that no citizen is in need and that they are cared for are free from harm (Conway III et al., 2016). Concisely, the Liberals underscore/ emphasizes the role of the government in solving problems of immigration, healthcare, among others (Graham, Haidt & Nosek, 2009). Thus, according to their beliefs, the government is responsible for matters related to immigration as well as improved healthcare services for the citizens (Bodenheimer, 2005). The government ought to provide equal health benefits to all the citizens regardless of their capacity to pay.

However, unlike the liberals that believe that healthcare services should be left on the hands of the government, the conservatives, on the other and, advocate for a free market in which there are little or no government regulations in health care service provision (Bodenheimer, 2005). As such, based on the moral foundation of harm and care, the conservatives believe in personal responsibility, free markets, traditional values, individual liberty as well as strong national defense (Conway III et al., 2016).

Therefore, conservatives believe that the government ought to give people the freedom to pursue their own goals without any distractions. As such, the health care facilities should be privatized, and the government should have no control over the health care services (Bodenheimer, 2005). Concisely, the conservatives believe in the ability of the people to solve their problems, such as healthcare concerns and immigration services (Conway III et al., 2016).

Immigration

Both the liberals and conservatives support legal immigration (Graham, Haidt & Nosek, 2009). However, based on the moral framework of harm and care, the Liberals believe that any undocumented immigrant into the U.S. has the same rights as the citizens of America and that it would be unfair to arrest a large number of undocumented immigrants (Bodenheimer, 2005). They also believe that all undocumented immigrants have heath and educational benefits despite their legal status. As such, they think that people should be treated equally, prevented from harm, and cared for (Conway III et al., 2016).

The conservatives, however, oppose the provision of any amnesty for illegal immigrants i.e., those who gain entry into the United States illegally. As such, they believe that those who gain unlawful entry into the United States cannot enjoy the same rights and privileges as those who gain entry legally. The conservatives must advocate for border closure to ensure the current immigration law is enforced (Bodenheimer, 2005).

Therefore it is essential to note that both the conservatives and the Liberals display different viewpoints to the moral frameworks, especially when addressing matters such as health care and immigration within the United States (Conway III et al., 2016).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the moral foundation theory presupposes that there are specific universally acceptable or innate systems that are the foundations for intuitive ethics. However, both the conservatives and the Liberals display different viewpoints to the moral frameworks, especially when addressing matters such as health care and immigration. Therefore, this paper has compared and contrasted how liberals and conservatives would use the Care and Harm moral framework to discuss health care and immigration in American politics.

References

Bodenheimer, T. (2005). The political divide in health care: A liberal perspective. Health Affairs, 24(6), 1426-1435. Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.24.6.1426

Conway III, L. G., Gornick, L. J., Houck, S. C., Anderson, C., Stockert, J., Sessoms, D., & McCue, K. (2016). Are conservatives really more simpleminded than liberals? The domain specificity of complex thinking. Political Psychology, 37(6), 777-798. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12304

Graham, J., Haidt, J., & Nosek, B. A. (2009). Liberals and conservatives rely on different sets of moral foundations. Journal of personality and social psychology, 96(5), 1029. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2009-05192-002