Even if David Leyonhjelm had a terminal illness, he would rather die than see a cent of taxpayer money spent on research to find a cure.
The Abbott government has linked $150 million in annual science funding to its controversial university deregulation plan, risking the jobs of 1700 researchers.
Senator Leyonhjelm is unsympathetic to their plight.
The Liberal Democrat does not believe research should be publicly funded.
Asked if his stance would remain the same if he hypothetically had a terminal illness, Senator Leyonhjelm was defiant.
"We're talking about inventing a pharmaceutical which a company will put on the market and sell for profit for its shareholders," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"Just because it happens to be me and cancer doesn't justify public funding for that."
Senator Leyonhjelm maintained the vast majority of medicines were developed by private sector research.
The great supporter of freedom acknowledged he would not be able to enjoy much freedom if he was dead.
"That's right. You can't enjoy freedom in a communist society either," he said.
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