WASHINGTON (CNS): United States Catholic bishops’ pres-ident Cardinal Francis George of Chicago praised the US House for approving a reform bill that provides “adequate and affordable health care to all” and “voting overwhelmingly” for a prohibition on using federal money to pay for most abortions.
An amendment to ban abortion funding sponsored by Republican Bart Stupak and other House members passed 240-194, and led to passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act in a 220-215 vote.
In a statement issued late on November 9, the cardinal lauded the November 7 vote and urged the Senate to follow the House’s example.
The House “honoured President (Barack) Obama’s commitment to the Congress and the nation that health care reform would not become a vehicle for expanding abortion funding or mandates”, he said.
The Senate is expected to take up its version of health care reform later this month. The House and Senate bills differ significantly, so any version the Senate passes will have to be reconciled with the other, and each body will vote again on the final legislation.
The Senate bill does not include language on abortion similar to the Stupak amendment.
Cardinal George said the US Conference of Catholic Bishops “will remain vigilant … to assure that these essential provisions are maintained and included in the final legislation”.
The House bill would provide a combination of subsidies, employer mandates, insurance company requirements and incentives and an option to buy into federally run health care, all intended to provide coverage for millions of uninsured Americans.
It also aims to bring spiralling costs under control and eliminate some of the frustrations of the current health system, such as exclusions from insurance coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.
Cardinal George said the Catholic Church was concerned about how health reform “affects the poor and vulnerable, and those at the beginning and end of life”.
“We will continue to insist that health care reform legislation must protect conscience rights,” he said.
“We support measures to make health care more affordable for low-income people and the uninsured. We remain deeply concerned that immigrants be treated fairly and not lose the health care coverage that they now have.
“In the national discussion on how to provide the best kind of health care, we bishops do not claim or present ourselves as experts on health care policy,” he said.
“We are not prepared to assess every provision of legislation as complex as this proposal.
“However, health care legislation, with all its political, technical and economic aspects, is about human beings and hence has serious moral dimensions.”
Cardinal George had been among those in contact with members of Congress as they moved toward a vote on the legislation; for instance, he urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi on November 6 to allow Mr Stupak’s amendment to come to the floor for a vote.
In a series of letters leading up to the vote, the bishops who head the USCCB’s committees on Pro-Life Activities, Migration, and Domestic Justice and Human Development had pressed House members to back Mr Stupak’s amendment, and expressed their pleasure that it was going to be brought to a vote.
