While all of the cable news stations are caught with no other news topic than the current Health Care issues before the United States Congress, so it seems, the same issue has brought forward an interesting set of statements from two leading American Catholic organizations: Catholic Health Association and the Bishops' Conference. Let me begin with an introduction of the two organizations. Ladies first, Your Eminence, please.
For many years, Sister Carol Keehan, DC (Daughter of Charity) worked as President at Providence Hospital in northeast Washington, DC. In that role, Sister Carol stood out as one of the leading Catholic Hospital administrators in the USA. It was no surprise when several years ago she was elected to serve as President of the Catholic Heath Association (CHA). Yesterday, Sister Carol announced that the CHA could not support the position presented by the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Francis Cardinal George, OMI.
What else is the role of the President of the USCCB but orchestration, bringing together the many cardinals, archbishops and bishops in the United States into one major opus? Whispers in the Loggia's picture of Chicago's Lawrence Welk has always been a favored photo of the Bishops' "leader of the band." Imagine had his family name been "McNamara"!!! The smile and setting do reflect the warm personality of this leader.
In a lengthy statement released yesterday concerning the Conference's position regarding the current bill before the House of Representatives, Cardinal George concluded with these words:
Two basic principles, therefore, continue to shape the concerns of the Catholic bishops: health care means taking care of the health needs of all, across the human life span; and the expansion of health care should not involve the expansion of abortion funding and of polices forcing everyone to pay for abortions. Because these principles have not been respected, despite the good that the bill under consideration intends or might achieve, the Catholic bishops regretfully hold that it must be opposed unless and until these serious moral problems are addressed.
“As I watched our president present his plan to pass the health reform legislation, it was clear this is an historic opportunity to make great improvements in the lives of so many Americans. Is it perfect? No. Does it cover everyone? No. But is it a major first step? Yes.”
“The insurance reforms will make the lives of millions more secure, and their coverage more affordable,” she continues. “The reforms will eventually make affordable health insurance available to 31 million of the 47 million Americans currently without coverage.”Sister Carol who has always been perceived as a deeply committed woman of the Church as well as a religious sister genuinely concerned for "the least among us," especially the vulnerable among us, in particular vulnerable women.
“CHA has a major concern on life issues,” she adds. We said there could not be any federal funding for abortions and there had to be strong funding for maternity care, especially for vulnerable women. The bill now being considered allows people buying insurance through an exchange to use federal dollars in the form of tax credits and their own dollars to buy a policy that covers their health care. If they choose a policy with abortion coverage, then they must write a separate personal check for the cost of that coverage."
"There is a requirement that the insurance companies be audited annually to assure that the payment for abortion coverage fully covers the administrative and clinical costs, that the payment is held in a separate account from other premiums, and that there are no federal dollars used. "
For more information and links to these documents check the list of links posted in the upper left side of the blog in particular the following: Whispers in the Loggia, The Catholic Culture and (probably later today) the USCCB. You will find coverage on these sites.
Pictures:
Sister Carol Keehan, DC from St Thomas (University) Magazine (St. Paul, MN)
Cardinal Francis George, OMI From Whispers in the Loggia
