The Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Tattoo Removal

Lately, there's been a lot of talk about national health care. I imagine eventually the government will figure out this interwebs thing and the Affordable Care Act will become law.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking that a piece of this health care plan ought to be government funded tattoo removal. It seems to me that this would be well within the bounds of the “inalienable” rights afforded to us by the constitution.

Here’s my thoughts. Tattoos are wonderful things, and there are many people out there who love their tattoos and are so grateful that they were able to get them. They would never even think about removing their tattoos, and that’s great for them. I’m glad they are able to have that kind of relationship with their ink.

But… there are some people who, after going to the tattoo parlor, may suffer from what I would call “tattoo regret”. They suddenly realize that what they did the night before could very well have a significant permanent impact on their life. It could influence the way people think about them. In some ways, parts of life may become more complicated (not everyone is a fan of tattoos).

Sometimes people get a tattoo in a moment of passion. They aren’t really thinking about what they’re doing, and they’re certainly not considering the consequences. They are simply caught up in the moment; and the morning after, they realize what an awful mistake they made.

In my opinion, the government ought to help these people. It’s not fair that they be forced to live the rest of their lives with the consequences of one night’s actions. Doesn’t the constitution guarantee us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? If someone has done something to their body which may impede their liberty or pursuit of happiness, isn’t it the government’s responsibility to enable them to fix the problem?

After all, IT’S THEIR BODY! They should be able to do what they want with it. And the government really ought to pay for it.