Freedom or Fluoride?
By Tabre Perez
During the course of the hot debate which has taken place in Salina in recent years over the issue of water fluoridation, there is one persistent idea on which all proponents of water fluoridation seem to agree: the idea that there is no individual right to decide which drugs to put in one’s own body.
Though our city water goes through a process during which several chemicals are added to it to treat the water and make it safe for human consumption, fluoride is the only chemical added to the water to treat the people rather than the water itself. When questions about water fluoridation have come to the attention of the public in Salina, the debate has quickly been driven to be centered around the question of whether or not fluoride is effective in its intended purpose; to reduce tooth decay. We have had to listen to educated professionals flaunt their credentials and proceed to tell us that they’ve done the research, they know the “real science”, and that they know what is best for us, regardless of our opinions on the matter. The thing that never ceases to amaze me is the level of arrogance inherent in such statements.
This entire debate has been centered around the wrong question. Instead of asking whether or not fluoride is a safe or effective drug, we should be asking, “Why are we mass-medicating the public? Shouldn’t medication with fluoride be an individual choice rather than something that is decided as a community? Where is my free choice?” Nobody who supports water fluoridation has any claim to a belief in freedom and the idea that this medication is forced on me and other like-minded individuals in what is supposed to be a free society is abhorrent.
To those who support water fluoridation: none of your data, research, or education can override the freedom of the people to choose which drugs to put in their bodies. You’ve created a nanny state; an over-reaching government which destroys individual free choice in the community. You may claim to have the best interests of the people in mind, but the road to tyranny is paved with good intentions.
To the citizens of Salina: I ask you to put freedom first. Restore freedom of choice in Salina. Give yourselves and those in your community the individual choice of whether or not to medicate with fluoride. Stand for liberty. Vote yes to repeal water fluoridation.
-Tabre Perez
Salina
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