Bishops Deeply Disappointed by Senate Vote to Table Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment
December 12, 2009
WASHINGTON (MetroCatholic)—“The Senate vote to table the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment is a grave mistake and a serious blow to genuine health care reform,” said Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The Senate is ignoring the promise made by President Obama and the will of the American people in failing to incorporate longstanding prohibitions on federal funding for abortion and plans that include abortion.”
Bishop William Murphy, Chair of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said: “Congress needs to retain existing abortion funding restrictions and safeguard conscience protections because the nation urgently needs health care reform that protects the life, dignity, conscience and health of all. We will continue to work with Senators, Representatives and the Administration to achieve reform which meets these criteria. We hope the Senate will address the legislation’s fundamental flaw on abortion and remedy its serious problems related to conscience rights, affordability and treatment of immigrants.”
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Chair of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said: “Congress needs to separate facts and truth from political rhetoric on abortion funding. Even our opponents claim they do not support federal funding for elective abortions and they want current restrictions to apply. The way to settle this often misleading debate is simply, clearly and explicitly to apply Hyde restrictions to all the federal funds in the legislation. That is what the House did and what the final bill must do. The Senate should not approve this bill in its current form.”
Bishop John Wester, Chair of the bishops’ Committee on Migration, pointed out: “For many years the bishops have strongly supported accessible and affordable health care for all. Health care must protect, not threaten, human life and dignity; respect, not violate, consciences of providers, taxpayers, and others. We believe universal coverage should be truly universal, not deny health care to those in need because of where they come from or when they arrive here. The Senate proposal falls short in these areas. Immigrants deserve access to health care for their benefit and the common good of all of society. We urge Senators to resist amendments that would leave immigrants and their families behind as the nation reforms health care. We urge Senators to support amendments that improve health-care access for immigrants and their families and to oppose efforts that deny them access.”
Cardinal George concluded: “While we deplore the Senate’s refusal to adopt the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment, we remain hopeful that the protections overwhelmingly passed by the House will be incorporated into needed reform legislation. Failure to exclude abortion funding will turn allies into adversaries and require us and others to oppose this bill because it abandons both principle and precedent.”
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When you dance with the Devil you will get burned. What the USCCB still doesn’t get is that even if the Senate version of this bill contained the protections it asked for they could all be thrown out in Conference or even after it became Law when the bureacracy could easily ” regulate ” the language of the Law to suit its own dark ends.
For example, taxpayer funded abortions would be prohibited except to protect the health of the mother, and except in cases of rape or incest. Does anyone doubt that the bureacracy will broadly ” interpret ” these restrictions? And will conscience protections be allowed to stand in such cases!
But even if all the USCCB wanted remained intact this bill is so flawed I fail to see how the USCCB could support it in good conscience. The bill should have been opposed from the beginning on these grounds alone ( see my comments earlier in ” SBA List Statement…”).
The USCCB could have supported well known efforts to perfect private sector efforts to make health care easily available to all, cheaper, and effective at the same time. In that case the USCCB could have continued its efforts to reinforce the Hyde Amendment , to reinforce conscience protections, etc. But for reasons which I can only surmise the USCCB continues to place its faith in an administration and a bureaucracy which has manifestly demonstrated that it is being manipulated by dark powers, certainly not by powers of light.
An added thought. It seems to me we have forgotten the admonition of the Psalms and the New Testiment not to place our trust in men, in Princes ( i.e. in Kings and governments). For even if they be of good will, they may not be able to accomplish their good intentions. But how much ” good will ” can we count on in the governments of the present day! Not much, but we rush to hand over to them nearly absolute power over the minutest details of our lives, we seem to arbitrairly invest in them a good will, a wisdom which they demonstrate they do not have. Most of them are anti-life and reject Christian morality and they endeavour to stack their bureaucracies with like minded people. What good can we hope for from them! Why do we insist then in handing over to them control over the minutest details of our lives!!! We wouldn’t freely give such control to the Pope, the Church, or the Bishops!!!
Ed,
I appreciate your well thought out insights. Would you consider contributing your thoughts on our group blog when you feel inspired to write?
Peace,
Chad Simpson
CEO
MetroCatholic