March 26, 2009 8:25AM # Sen. Hatch Does Not Owe His Friend My Freedom By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) --- SHARE Here’s one idea that needs to be put down right now: that we should enact health care reform as a tribute to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D‑MA), who has terminal brain cancer. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R‑UT) was recently [quoted](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/25/opinion/main4892654.shtml): > I would like to do \[health care reform\] as a legacy issue for \[Kennedy\], if I can — this would mean a lot to him. I mean no disrespect to Sen. Kennedy. Aside from those who have actually given their own lives for this country, few have given as much as he has. I wish him peace, and a miraculous recovery. My problem is with the choice of tribute. The health care [reforms](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9679) that Congress is [cobbling together](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9867) would dramatically reduce each American’s freedom to control her income, run a business, and make her own health care decisions. The United States of America is a republic. We do not make tributes of our citizens or their rights to the aristocracy. Sen. Hatch does not owe his friend my freedom. ##### Related Tags [General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).