Posted by
Anthony on Friday, November 06, 2009 10:32:59 AM
Bishop James Conley, auxiliary for the Archdiocese of Denver, has a peice today in First Things. Because of the legislative action scheduled for tomorrow, the perspective of the Catholic bishops is important. For at least this bishop, the current discussion has failed.
"With more than 620 Catholic hospitals serving the public around the United States, hundreds of Catholic medical clinics and shelters, and even a few Catholic-affiliated medical schools, Catholics have a keen interest in healthcare reform. That interest isn’t new. It’s rooted in experience, including the experience of trying to help people with little or no health insurance at all. For decades, the U.S. bishops have pushed for an overhaul of our nation’s healthcare industry and the way it delivers its services. Why? Because the Church sees access to basic health care as a right and a social responsibility, not a privilege.
"But Catholic support for the general principle of reform does not bind anyone to endorse a specific piece of legislation. God gave us brains for a reason, to think; and we need to use them, because the practical and moral problems we face on the way to good healthcare reform are as formidable as the goal is admirable. This is why the U.S. bishops’ conference has tried so diligently for the past three months to work with Congress and the White House in seeking sound compromise legislation. As of November 5, all those efforts have failed."
Read the rest at http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2009/11/a-healthcare-problem-washington-may-have-missed