Time Examines Catholic Bishops' Position On Abortion, Health Reform

According to a Time column by Amy Sullivan, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently sent a letter to senators saying that it would "vigorously" oppose health reform, despite previously arguing that access to quality health care "is a universal human right." The reason for the bishops' shift "is one that could have been predicted months before the debate even began: abortion," Sullivan says.

Although President Obama's outreach to USCCB has "left much to be desired," the bishops "deserve a fair share of the blame for the continuing stalemate," according to Sullivan. In July, Cardinal Justin Rigali -- then the head of USCCB's pro-life committee, said the bishops wanted health reform that lacked "direct federal funding for abortion." Sullivan writes that this "language was important because it seemed to match an amendment" by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) under which no federal dollars could directly fund abortion procedures. "An individual could obtain an abortion if her insurance plan covered it," Sullivan explains, "but the procedure would be paid with segregated dollars from a pool funded by privately paid premiums." Democrats felt confident that the Capps amendment would clear the way for the bishops' support of health reform, but a few weeks later, Rigali sent a second letter claiming that funding to insurers is "fungible, and federal taxpayer funds will subsidize the operating budget and provider networks that expand access to abortion."

Sullivan reports that the new stance has caused Democrats to feel "frustration that the bishops hadn't been negotiating in good faith," as well as a larger sense of confusion about where they stood. Democrats might be able to address the bishops' concerns, "but some feel burned by earlier attempts at negotiation and are ready to forget about courting the bishops' support," Sullivan writes. Ultimately, the bishops could find themselves fighting against the very type of health reform they once supported, according to Sullivan. "If that happens, they will have themselves to blame as much as anyone else," she concludes (Sullivan, Time, 10/18).

PBS Program Examines Abortion Coverage Debate

In related news, PBS' "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly" on Friday included a segment about the debate over abortion coverage in health reform. The segment included comments from the Rev. Andrew Genszler, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Rev. Debra Haffner, executive director of the Religious Institute; Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.); and Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life.

"I'm really disappointed that, once again, women's lives, the desperate situation that so many women find themselves in ... is being used as a political football," Haffner said. She added, "I think it's morally unconscionable that we are segregating some health services. Abortion's a health service."

Yoest said, "For millions of Americans across this country, abortion is a morally objectionable activity, and so for us to lose the ability to differentiate with a tonsillectomy would be a real, real tragedy" (Lawton, "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly," PBS, 10/16).


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