Posted by
Philip Mella on Monday, July 27, 2009 2:29:38 PM
Editor's note: I sent the following letter to the Colorado Catholic Herald. Although it addresses reform legislation in the context of Catholic teaching, concerned Americans across the religious spectrum will likely have the same objections, since these are gravely important moral issues.
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To the editor:
Since the possibility that our health insurance system may be fundamentally restructured is real, as Catholics it’s vital that we carefully study the options under consideration, because it’s clear that many of reform options contravene Church teaching.
We can all agree that the goal of providing affordable coverage for those who lack health insurance is a moral imperative, but it’s also important that we strive for truth when it comes to the facts. You may have heard the figure of 45 million as the number of uninsured.
However, as reported by Factcheck.org, the non-partisan research arm of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, 26% of the uninsured are currently eligible for some form of public coverage but do not make use of it; 20% of the uninsured have family incomes in excess of $75,000 and either decline to spend money for employer-sponsored insurance or are otherwise not able to obtain it; 40% of the uninsured are young, and although insurance coverage isn’t offered to some of them, many turn down their employer-sponsored insurance. Some unknown percent--estimates are about 10%--are illegal aliens. So, although it’s a complicated issue, the number of uninsured reported in the media is misleading and is being used to create a sense of urgency to garner political momentum for reform.
Far more critical than that, however, are two crucial issues that should deeply concern all Catholics regarding the legislation favored by the Obama Administration: abortion and euthanasia. Beyond mandating tax payer-funded abortion on demand, President Obama is actively seeking the repeal of the “conscience clause” regulation issued by the Bush Administration. If he were successful, the enforcement of federal conscience protections, including Church Amendments, would be nullified, which would jeopardize the existence of Catholic hospitals and their employees.
Moreover, during the mark-up of the Kennedy-Dodd health care bill, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved provisions to require health insurance plans to contract with organizations such as Planned Parenthood that provide abortions. That would expand the frequency of this heinous act, which Catholics simply cannot support.
With respect to euthanasia, in the medical journal, The Lancet, President Obama’s special health policy advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, indicated that he supports “comparative effectiveness research,” which is code for rationing care at the end of life. Dr. Emanuel supports the so-called “complete lives system,” which effectively discriminates against the elderly and justifies withholding care based upon a global utilization formula with a predetermined—i.e., limited--amount of available services. That would put us on a glide path to euthanasia, which is how such policies began in places like the Netherlands.
As the debate over health care reform continues, it’s incumbent upon Catholics to make their voices heard, from priests in the pulpit to lay people contacting their elected officials to express their strong objections. Although we should support the broad goals of reform, the message from the pulpit should include the limits of Catholic support based on the moral acceptability of the proposed legislation.
Indeed, we all can and should support reform that expands coverage to those in need, but not at the expense of the unborn and our elderly, which, as Pope Benedict has stated, are non-negotiable, since they are among the most serious moral teachings of the Church.