Catholic Bishops Oppose Obamacare that Funds Abortion

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October 8, 2009

U.S. Catholic Bishops Warn Congress on Health Reform

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops today sent a letter to the House of Representatives and Senate to warn lawmakers that the church would oppose a final bill if it did not do the following:

– Exclude mandated coverage for abortion and incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding that are in favor of conscience rights.

– Adopt measures that protect and and improve people’s health care.

– Include effective measures to safeguard the health of legal immigrants, their children and all of society.

Tags: abortion funding, catholic bishops, health reform

Comments Author: Marguerite Higgins

caroltanner

The Catholic Church is right on this issue of abortion and abortion funding.

peterwise

This piece ranges between disingenuous and outright dishonest. The Catholic bishops do not oppose healthcare reform - which is what it tries to imply. In fact, throughout the world, including in the US, they support inclusive health provision in line with Catholic moral teaching, and the Catholic social justice ethos. In this regard they are utterly at opposite ends of the socio-moral spectrum from Heritage and the other insurance industry apologists in the comment-media.

The Catholic bishops are most certainly against abortion. They do not want it facilitated by either private or public providers. They are absolutely consistent in their views - not something Heritage can be accused of. Heritage, instead of dishonestly flailing around to seek to associate healthcare reform with abortion should ask why the US with its preponderance of privatized healthcare (including private abortion-clinics - if you consider abortion "healthcare") has a much higher abortion rate than the (Godless?) European nations that have universal health-provision with social health subsidies for those who cannot afford health insurance.
For accuracy and balance, your august publication might like to refer to Catholic social teaching, and how it views your campaign to ensure that Americans (particular poor and middleclass Americans) should have the right to die younger, live in insecurity, have more of our babies die in infancy, and to deny healthcare to illegal immigrants (leave 'em die at the side of the road - after all, we are a Christian country, and isn't that what Christ would do?).

That would be an "inconvient" balance, as Al G might say.

Thank you, but no thank you, for your bogus concern for Catholic social values.

This commentator is a Roman Catholic.