Catholic Charities - A discussion on Universal Healthcare

Is the term “Conservative Catholic” oxymoronic? Do we break with the Church when we find ourselves agreeing with Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh? These are all fair questions, especially if you truly think that Conservatives are selfish, mean spirited money-grubbers. I know what I believe. I’ve thought it out, looked at it from all angles and I am comfortable with how my politics line up in relation to Church teachings. Catholic Charities USA probably feels the same way about their position. Yet, the Conservative Catholic Women’s League has a view of Universal Healthcare which differs remarkably from that of Catholic Charities. Check out their website for the full story:


http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=329

This is how it breaks down for Catholic Charities. (Emphasis was added) Catholic Charities USA urges Congress to:

• Enact comprehensive health care policies that ensure equitable, accessible, affordable, and quality health care for all that safeguards human life from conception until natural death;
• Improve health literacy and education;
• Focus on preventative care;
• Restrain health care costs with responsible financing and cost-sharing;
• Strengthen the Medicaid safety net for low-income persons;
• Expand mental health coverage for the poor and vulnerable by sufficiently funding mental health and substance abuse programs administered by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); and
• Ensure key health care protection for children in very low-income families.

When I talked with Roger Connor of Catholic Charities USA, I asked him to define what “equitable” healthcare means. He wanted to assure me that Catholic Charities advocates all safeguards on human life. I asked him to clarify whether Catholic Charities endorses Universal Single-Payer healthcare. He said that he wasn’t in a position to do that.

Obviously, this is an important moment in history and it seems like it’s time to get off the fence and make clear where we stand on policies which will change the look of our democracy forever. The CCWL has an official position on Universal Healthcare. We strongly believe that it is right and good to help our neighbors in need. We advocate that every individual should do what he or she can to support and strengthen our communities, invest in organizations that can offer a leg up to people in need, and prayerfully but actively seek solutions to illness, poverty and despair. We believe, however, that a nation’s ability to require charity by law is not a sign of its good intentions, but rather its flirtation with authoritarianism. Frankly, there are many organizations in existence (including Catholic Charities) that help the neediest among us. We are deeply concerned with Congress’s move into areas which constitutionally belong to the private sector, and we are surprised that an organization such as Catholic Charities would be urging Congress to at best encroach upon and at worst subdue freedom and liberty in this manner. Ironically, the very programs that Catholic Charities urges from Congress may compromise its own ability to minister to those locked in the cycle of poverty. If Universal Healthcare is made into law, the Congress will most likely act to secularize organizations such as Catholic Charities, and force them to compromise their positions on life and family issues.

The CCWL utterly opposes Socialism in every one of its manifestations. That includes Universal Healthcare. We are sympathetic to Catholic Charities desire to end the disparities in healthcare for those less fortunate. We believe that they are choosing a most devastating means of achieving their goals and the Conservative Catholic Women's League urges Catholic Charities to consider what their position ought to be.

We hope that you will take the time to follow the link to Catholic Charities USA and ask them to clarify their position on Universal Healthcare. Many of us belong to “Tithing Parishes,” and therefore have portions of our weekly or monthly contributions to the Church distributed to Catholic Charities. We, therefore, have a vested interest in knowing how they stand on this issue.

Posted by the Cranky Housewife