The Pope highlighted the need for clear discernment on "issues touching the protection of human dignity and respect for the inalienable right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, as well as the protection of the right to conscientious objection on the part of heath care workers, and indeed all citizens."
The American Bishops at about the same time issued a statement on the health care debate that echoed the Pope's thought. Namely that the proposed legislation should not include language allowing for abortion and not allowing conscientious objections.
The Church leaders have repeated this position over and over again. It is obviously a correct thing to say. But, it entirely misses what is going on in the United States in the health care debate. Namely, that both political parties are agreed that the health industry needs to be brought under government control and run on a cost-reduction basis. This step will transform the practice of medicine that the Catholic Church brought into the world. We will go from compassionate health care to bureaucratic health care based on the cost-control dictates of the insurance companies and the government.
In short, now is a moment of truth for the Church leaders. To remain silent on the key issue and development, as they are doing, will bring a significant reduction in health care to the faithful, and everyone else.
Just today doctors put forward a protest on an aspect of this very topic. The Wall Street Journal reports (page a5): "Doctors are trying to remove a provision in the Senate's latest health bill that would cut Medicare payments to those [doctors] who administer the most tests and treatments. The proposal...is one of several proposals...that could change how doctors are evaluated and paid. ...the provision is a blunt instrument that would discourage doctors from taking the sickest and oldest patients." One doctor said, "Those things are very imperfect, imprecise and they depend on data that often doesn't really reflect what's going on."
And what is this proposal based on? Cost-reduction, of course.
Do the Church leaders have a position on this type of change which is the central difficulty of the health care legislation?
The Church leaders' statements clearly give the impression that if abortion and conscientious objection are handled correctly and everyone has health coverage, then the legislation is okay.
This stance is wrong, wrong, wrong!!! The Church leaders inability to see the fundamental question in the health care debate will have long-term negative effects on the faithful. One wants to scream at the Church leaders to try to wake them up!!!
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