What Will the Catholic Bishops Say About the Baucus Plan and Abortion?
Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
The big antiabortion groups, including the National Right to Life Committee and the Family Research Council, weighed in last night on Sen. Max Baucus's newly unveiled healthcare reform proposal. Both organizations blasted it as a mandate and taxpayer subsidy for abortion coverage.
For a White House that doesn't want to see the healthcare reform derailed by the abortion debate—and for an antiabortion movement that doesn't want the Obama administration to get away with selling Democratic healthcare proposals as "abortion neutral"—the next big political question is how the Roman Catholic bishops will react to the Baucus proposal. Both the antiabortion movement and the White House want the U.S. bishops on their side.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops attacked the House Democrats' bill, calling its ban on federal funds for abortion a "legal fiction."
But after President Obama's address to Congress last week, in which he dismissed as a "misunderstanding" the allegation that healthcare reform would mean federally funded abortion, the bishops applauded.
"We especially welcome the president's commitment to exclude federal funding of abortion and to maintain existing federal laws protecting conscience rights in healthcare," said Richard Doerflinger, the conference's associate director of antiabortion activities. "We believe that incorporating essential and long-standing federal laws on these issues into any new proposal will strengthen support for healthcare reform."
That positive take provoked harsh words from Catholic conservatives, including Deal Hudson, former head of Catholic outreach for the Republican National Committee. "Doerflinger's statement is perplexing because it avoids the fact that Obama denied abortion coverage was contained in the present legislation," Hudson wrote in a column for Inside Catholic, a website he runs. "Obama was clearly wrong about that statement, but Doerflinger lauds 'the president's commitment to exclude federal funding of abortion.' "
The Baucus proposal includes important differences from the House bill, such as the absence of a public health insurance plan, but its language on a purported separation of federal funds from abortion coverage is similar. Conservatives call it a bogus scheme.
Let's see what the bishops say.
- See Obama's top faith leaders.
- Read more about abortion.
Tags: abortion | healthcare | religion | Max Baucus
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WOW - Below is a copy of what Gary Holland of ID had to say:
Should we kill them?
Hey, the Church hierarchy is sticking together, doing the right thing on this issue. Attaboys! As someone who never comments on these pages, can I discuss my thoughts about abortion? Please bear with me. It's friday night, I'm recreating here, and risking some naughty responses.
Thoughts: The freedom to live is primary in our American society, isn't it? Secondary to protecting our right to live, comes the question of protecting our quality of life, no? That's what the government is charged with in this country (yes, you, Mr. President.)
Jesus Christ is supposed to be the leader of all Christians, Catholilcs included. He condemned murder and spoke clearly and often about the sanctity of human life. For a Christian to promote the killing of children, at any age, is clearly contrary to Jesus Christ's will, is it not? If one, i.e. Kennedy, Pelosi et al believe they are Catholics, yet do not do everything possible to fight abortion, and in fact promote abortion with its approximately 1.3 million murders yearly in this country...are they really followers of the same Jesus Christ? Come on, say "yes" or "no" out loud. Take a stand. Where do you think these people will go when they pass on? Come on, you know. Either Heaven or Hell. (Yes only God knows for sure, but you can hazard a guess, can't you?
What about elements of our Catholic church government (Bishops, etc.) that continue to embrace those public figures who pretend to be Catholic, yet promote the aborting of children? How about the aborting of Jews? Is it less heinous to kill babies? Take a stand.
Have these leaders replaced JC with SELF? (one has power over life and death.., one is a false god) Are there shades of truth in Jesus's standard? If we think so, aren't we, and our church at times, chucking the living God in the trash and putting ourselves into his position?
What do you think we should say when we, especially leaders in our churches, meet him, and He asks, "did you cherish and protect my children?" When we, of course, say "no" (I know you'll be honest; how does one lie to God at the gates of Heaven?) but God you need to understand, abortion is a woman's right, it's not really a baby but a "fetus" that is really a part of it's mother's body, and therefore if she can take out a tumor, she can take out a child...; and understand, the child might not have been happy, and the child could have had deformities, which would have ruined our finances and tied us down for the rest of its life; and I didn't want to risk the pro-choice parishoners leaving or not liking me, and (President speaking) I think my ideas and need for power are as valuable as yours...aren't they?
Every Sunday I and my little family are at Mass. I feel God's love for people. Like a warm wind blowing inside of me. Later, when my little daughter lifts her arms and runs to me to be held, I know how God feels, as all His babies come running home to him after so long apart. Should we kill them?
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