As Catholics in Kansas City and across the country head to Mass this weekend, they can expect to see messages in their weekly bulletins urging them to contact Congress about the recent health reform initiatives. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has distributed the message that they cannot support the existing health care proposals unless it includes language specifically forbidding the use of taxpayer dollars funding abortions. To date, the Democratic leadership has refused to include such language and is said to be considering rules to prevent amendments from being attached on the House floor.
Rep. Bart Stupak (D- MI) has proposed an amendment that specifically addresses the pro-life concerns on abortion funding and conscience rights. The Catholic Bishops are encouraging support for this amendment.
This is not the first time that Catholic Bishops have participated in the health care debate. Like previous documents, this one will be attacked with the same tired arguments; that religion has no place in the debate, that Catholics cannot even clean up their own house or that they should lose their tax-exempt status.
However, one should also remember that the Catholic Church and other faith based organizations provide much of the free and reduced health care in the country today. To deny them a place at the reform table is to exclude some of the most passionate supporters for health care reform as well as some of the most experienced provider organizations. The Catholic Church considers the “Right to Health Care” as a fundamental right of all individuals.
The big question is how far is Speaker Pelosi willing to go? Is she willing to alienate the pro-life members of her party and risk the entire health care reform bill in order to appease the pro-choice fringe on the left? The Democratic leadership should have the courage allow the health care debate to move forward and not let the abortion lobby risk the health care of millions of Americans solely to push funding for abortion.
