The Most Peculiar Aspects of this Age - Essay Example

One of the most peculiar aspects of this age of market glorification - where private property is valued above all - is how little of importance an ordinary human is allowed to own. so-called "privacy protection" regulations not only strip individuals of any ability to determine for themselves how best to protect their medical privacy, but they also create a privileged class of people with a federally-guaranteed right to see an individual's medical records without the individual's consent. I am aware of at least one incident where a man had his medical records used without his consent and the records inadvertently revealed his identity. As a result, many people in his community discovered details of his medical history that he wished to keep private! Forcing individuals to divulge medical information without their consent also runs afoul of the Fifth Amendment's prohibition on taking private property for public use without just compensation. After all, people do have a legitimate property interest in their private information; therefore restrictions on an individual's ability to control the dissemination of their private information represents a massive regulatory taking.