Equality as a right translates into the right to equality in health care. As a negative right, it means a right to be protected against serious health hazards. As a positive
right it means the right of access to certain basic health
care benefits. Rights to health care begin as moral rights,
supported by ethical arguments and a Natural Law vision of humanness. Subsequently, human rights become
legalized; i.e., turned into legal rights. The objective of
Natural Law declarations of human rights is to express
what people need for truly human lives. Legal rights to
health care access attempt to put the moral declaration
into concrete practice. Health care programs try to give
concrete form to the ethical vision of equality and the
Natural Law based right to health care for all.