None of the major health reform bills before Congress adequately addresses the concerns raised by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the areas of abortion, conscience protection, immigrants and affordability. In a letter to Congress on Oct. 8, Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City said: “If final legislation does not meet our principles, we will have no choice but to oppose the bill.” The bishops said: “Much-needed reform of our health care system must be pursued in ways that serve the life and dignity of all, never in ways that undermine or violate these fundamental values.... We will work tirelessly to remedy these central problems and help pass real reform that clearly protects the life, dignity and health of all.” The bishops reiterated calls on Congress to ensure that health reform excludes mandated coverage of abortions and incorporates longstanding federal policies against taxpayer-funded abortions and in favor of conscience rights, makes health care affordable to everyone and include effective measures to safeguard the health of immigrants and their children.
Bishops May Oppose Health Care Bill
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
The U.S.C.C.B. said it would not renew its cooperative agreements with the federal government related to children’s services and refugee support after its longstanding partnerships with the government in those areas became “untenable.”
To Andriy Zelinskyy, S.J., “Victory is creating a society where a person feels their freedom and dignity, and where a human being remains a human being.”
Returning to “Preach” for the second time this Lent, Professor Johnson joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to discuss the Passion narratives in both Luke and John, heard during the principal liturgies of Holy Week.
An Oklahoma man charged Friday with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Catholic priest wrote letters to a newspaper railing against the Catholic Church reforms of Vatican II and referring to a “strange new version of ‘Catholicism.’”