Bulletin Inserts: Health Care Reform

“We claim no expertise in economics or the complexities of modern medical science. However, effective health care policies must be built on a foundation of proper moral principles. The needed change in health care must therefore flow from certain principles that protect the fundamental life and dignity of the human person and the societal principles of justice, which are best safeguarded when such vital needs are provided for in a context of human love and reason, and when the delivery of care is determined at the lowest reasonable level. The rich tradition of Catholic social and moral teaching should guide our evaluation of the many and varied proposals for health care reform.”, Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and Health Care Reform by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann & Bishop Robert W. Finn, Sept 1, 2009

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Prayer for our Nation’s Health Care Reform

Lord Jesus, you are the Divine Physician,
And the source of all life and health.
Guide our nation at this critical moment,
As our government seeks health care reforms.
Give our elected officials the humility to know
That they are servants, not masters.
Give them the wisdom to realize
That every life has equal value.
Give them the strength to resist the idea
That some lives can be sacrificed to save others
Or that killing the unborn is a part of health care.
Give your people the courage to speak up
And to hold public officials accountable for their actions.
Save us, Lord Jesus, from a culture of death,
And let every reform in our public policy
Be based on the reform of our hearts and minds
In the light of your Gospel,
For you are Lord forever and ever. Amen.

http://www.priestsforlife.org/prayercampaign/index.htm

Image: Christ the Healer, Fr. Jon Buffington. Downtown Chapel, Portland, OR.
http://www.downtownchapel.org/icon.html

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“Respect for personal conscience and freedom of religion as such ensures our basic freedom from government oppression. No government should come between an individual person and God—that’s what America is supposed to be about. This is the true common ground for us as Americans. We therefore need legal protection for freedom of conscience and of religion—including freedom for religious health care institutions to be true to themselves.” Cardinal Francis George, March 16, 2009

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Catholic News Service: “Why should the average Catholic be concerned about a somewhat obscure regulation (Conscience Protection Rule) of the Department of Health and Human Services?”
Bishop Murphy: … Legal experts tell us that the regulations are totally in conformity with the statutes. So to take back the regulations raises a real issue, because the statutes are intended to protect human rights -- rights of conscience and rights of freedom of religion. So why should everyone be concerned about this? Because if one person's rights can be compromised, everybody's rights can be compromised.” Excerpt from interview of Bishop William Murphy on March 24, 2009 

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Conscience Protection for Health Professionals
 In his recent open letter to Congress, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston said:
… The need to respect rights of conscience in health care has been a matter of strong bipartisan consensus for almost four decades. Under the Church amendment of 1973, those taking part in a variety of federal health programs may not be discriminated against because they have moral or religious objections to abortion or sterilization, and in some circumstances to any other health service. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program exempts religiously affiliated health plans from any contraceptive mandate, and protects the conscience rights of health professionals in secular plans. The major federal legislation for combating AIDS in developing nations ensures the full participation of organizations that have a moral or religious objection to particular methods of AIDS prevention. This consensus is reflected in a variety of other federal laws as well (www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/abortion/crmay08.pdf).
The IOM’s proposed list of mandated benefits makes it especially urgent for Congress to bring [the recently passed health care reforms] into line with this unbroken legal tradition of respect for the rights of conscience. Those who sponsor, purchase and issue health plans should not be forced to violate their deeply held moral and religious convictions in order to take part in the health care system or provide for the needs of their families or their employees. To force such an unacceptable choice would be as much a threat to universal access to health care as it is to freedom of conscience.
Therefore I urge you to support and co-sponsor the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act [H.R 1179], to help preserve respect in federal law for the freedom to follow the dictates of one’s conscience.
Sincerely,
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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