The Human Right to Heal

Seven-year-old Rodney, a kinetic boy with a mischievous smile and huge brown eyes, was born with clubfeet, a defect affecting 1 in 1,000 children. The condition, marked by feet turned inward, can be remedied with a simple surgical fix and, therefore, is virtually unseen today in the developed world. But because Rodney was born in the rural Philippines, where even rudimentary surgical care is a luxury reserved for a privileged few, he will likely be disabled for the rest of his life. Access to such basic health care should not be a privilege.