This month’s Republican debate drew fire from National Nurses United (NNU), a national organization of registered nurses, over a candidate’s response to a question about healthcare and the response of some audience members.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer's question to Rep. Ron Paul about whether care should be provided to an uninsured man in a coma prompted Paul to responded, "That's what freedom is all about, taking your own risks." When Blitzer asked, "Are you saying that society should just let him die?" several audience members laughed and erupted into loud cheers of "Yeah!"

Calling the reaction antithetical to the essence of nursing was NNU Co-President Jean Ross: "Everything we do is geared toward preventing illness, and getting people well."

NNU endorses expansion of Medicare so no one is in danger of losing their life because they are uninsured, though nearly 45,000 US deaths annually are associated with lack of health insurance, according to a study by Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance.

A broader question, says NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro, is, "Do we want a nation of common purpose and support or just a collection of amoral individuals?"

NNU Co-President Deborah Burger said the idea of nurses "deciding whether someone deserves medical treatment based on their pocketbook is abhorrent. Does that mean we should take someone off life support if they are in an accident because they are uninsured?"

NNU's Ross added, "Healthcare should be a right for everyone, not a privilege."

What's your opinion?