CardiovascularAbortion Coverage Under Health Reform Creating Tension For Some Catholics
The "tension" between the Roman Catholic Church"s commitment to caring for the poor and its opposition to abortion has "resonated" with many Catholics across the U.S., as they consider health reform legislation in Congress and how it fits in with Catholic teachings, the Wall Street Journal reports.Although most Catholic groups that have weighed in on the health-reform debate agree that the U.S. system needs to be changed to provide more health care for the poor, they are conflicted over whether they can support a plan that they believe would expand access to abortion services. There is also concern that reform legislation would result in requirements on Catholic hospitals serving patients who are covered by health insurance purchased through an exchange to offer referrals for abortion services, a situation that
occurred in Massachusetts in the spring of 2009. According to the Journal, most proposals in Congress would create a federal oversight panel that could allow plans participating in a health insurance exchange to cover abortion services.Cathleen Kaveny, a professor of law and theology at the University of Notre Dame, said that Catholics want to "extend health care to as many people as possible, ... but you can"t call it health care if it includes a type of killing."While the Catholic Church is "unequivocal in condemning elective abortion and contraception," many U.S. residents who identify as Catholic "think differently," the Journal reports. John Brehany, executive director of the Catholic Medical Association, which opposes the bills currently in Congress, said that he "wish[es] we were all on the same page, but it just so happens the Catholic Church is a very big tent."The Journal reports that some Catholic groups argue that the debate over coverage for abortion services is distracting from more pressing needs, such as providing better health care for the poor. Victoria Kovari, who runs the left-leaning Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, said the "real pro-life message" is that Congress must address the lack of quality health care for the poor, and that Catholics must push lawmakers to include coverage for the tens of millions of uninsured U.S. residents (Simon, Wall Street Journal, 8/5).
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