Conservative darling Dr. Ben Carson on Sunday defended comparing President Barack Obama's health care law to slavery by insisting that "anything is slavery that robs your of your ability to control your own life."
Speaking to the Values Voter Summit in Washington last year, Carson had lashed out at the Affordable Care Act for being "the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery."
"And it is in a way, it is slavery in a way, because it is making all of us subservient to the government, and it was never about health care," he said. "It was about control."
During a panel discussion on Sunday, NBC host David Gregory pointed out that people who were able to get health insurance because of the new law would most likely disagree with Carson.
"First of all, recognize what I said," Carson replied. "Worst thing since slavery. I didn't say that it was slavery."
"Well, you said 'it is' slavery 'in a way,'" Gregory interrupted.
"Right, and I said, 'in a way,'" Carson agreed. "In a way, anything is slavery that robs you of your ability to control your own life."
"And when you take the most important thing that you have, which is your health care, and you put that in the hands of government bureaucrats, I think, you have done the wrong thing," he added. "And as I was about to say, you go back and you look at the neo-Marxist literature, and look at what they say -- don't have to listen to what I say -- about taking control of health care of the populous, and making people dependant."
"Do I believe in health care for everybody? Absolutely. But I think there are much better ways to get there, which leave the care in the hands of patients, and of doctors."
