US bishops oppose Senate health care legislation in current form
December 21, 2009
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has announced its opposition to Senate health care legislation in its current form. In a 60-40 vote during the early morning hours of December 21, the Senate voted to limit debate on the measure so as to allow for the its passage before Christmas.
The legislation “does not seem to allow purchasers who exercise freedom of choice or of conscience to ‘opt out’ of abortion coverage in federally subsidized health plans that include such coverage,” noted Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, and Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City in a December 19 statement. “Instead it will require purchasers of such plans to pay a distinct fee or surcharge which is extracted solely to help pay for other people's abortions. Further the government agency that currently manages health coverage for federal employees will promote and help subsidize multi-state health plans that include elective abortions, contrary to longstanding law governing this agency.”
“Therefore, while we appreciate the good-faith efforts made by Senators Robert Casey and Ben Nelson (D-NE) to improve the bill, our judgment is the same as it was yesterday: This legislation should not move forward in its current form. It should be opposed unless and until such serious concerns have been addressed.”
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Further information:
- Health Reform Bill Needs More Work Despite New Language on Abortion, Say Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
- 'Abortion Compromise' Does Not Address Core Problem in Senate Health Bill, Says Cardinal Dinardo, Bishops' Pro-Life Chair (USCCB)
- Senate Health Bill Moves Ahead In Initial Procedural Vote (Wall Street Journal)
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Posted by: Thomas429 -
Dec. 23, 2009 2:16 PM ET USA
Yes,the abortion issue is a damning feature of the Senate's version of this catastrophe. The "managed care aspects" that are in each version are also a problem in medical care for the handicapped, elderly, and chronically ill. Finally there is the question of further empowerment of the federal government. Once the government becomes the provider of health care for a majority of the population there will be no way to free ourselves from it.
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Posted by: filioque -
Dec. 22, 2009 12:18 AM ET USA
O tempora, O episcopi! This bill is an assault on our freedoms and violates the principle of subsidiarity on every page. Bishops, please drop your fixation on abortion and understand that the abortion issue is being used to extract political favors. Sens. Casey and Nelson are not your friends. Oppose this bill because it drags all of us into the control of the federal government which respects neither unborn life nor freedom of conscience.
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Posted by: William F. Folger -
Dec. 21, 2009 3:31 PM ET USA
Cdl. DiNardo 4 times in 1st article assigns to Sen. Casey undeserved “good-faith effort”, ironically like the unintended aid given some 2008 CINO Catholics via the USCCB’s lacking good discernment which, in turn, helped Obama Win. Granting Casey intelligence, “good-faith” requires sincerity and that means he would have worked with competent leaders like Douglas Johnson (NRLC) and Tony Perkins (FRC) to get effective wording. In any case, a good-Catholic Casey would have voted against cloture.
