Our Bodies, Ourselves – The New War of Independence. “Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.”- J.S.Mill In several US states, gay-rights activists are working to overturn antiquated sodomy laws. In many countries, organizations like NORML are attempting to decriminalize marijuana. The news has been filled recently with families battling with the state (and each other) to preserve the dead in ways other than internment or cremation. Internationally, AIDS and cancer sufferers seek to fast-track experimental drug trials, offering themselves as human guinea pigs, while euthanasia activists attempt to legitimize assisted suicide. Neo-tribal devotees are changing society’s attitudes to piercing, tattooing, and other forms of body modification simply by being publicly visible. While very different in intention, all of these groups have one thing in common – they seek to claim the individual’s rights of the body back from the state. [kuro5hin.org]
This is the essence of my libertarian beliefs and why I believe the war on drugs should end, even though I don’t personally condone the use of drugs.So long as she is over the age of consent, it is the sane individual’s right to make an informed decision to do with her body whatever she wishes, so long as those actions do not infringe on the rights of others.