January 15, 2010
U.S. bishops, ICC urge Catholics to contact officials about health care reform
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
The U.S. Catholic bishops continue to urge Catholics throughout the United States to contact their U.S. senators and representatives in regard to national health care reform.
During October and November 2009, diocesan and parish leaders were asked by the U.S. Bishops’ Conference to distribute two consecutive Nationwide Bulletin Inserts on health care reform.
Since that time, the U.S. House passed health care reform that reaffirms the essential, longstanding and widely supported policy against using federal funds for elective abortion coverage.
According to the bishops’ conference, the U.S. Senate has rejected this policy and passed health care reform that requires federal funds to help subsidize and promote health plans that cover elective abortions
The two bills are in the process of being combined into one bill that both the House and Senate will vote on in final form.
“Catholics need to make their voices heard insisting that health care reform protect the lives, dignity, consciences and health of all,” said a statement from the U.S. bishops to parish leaders. “Provisions against abortion funding and in favor of conscience protection, affordability, and immigrants’ access to health care must be part of a fair and just health care reform bill. Unless and until these criteria are met, the final bill must be opposed.”
The material being offered to parishes includes pulpit and bulletin announcements and a suggestion for a prayer to be used as part of the Prayers of the Faithful at Masses this weekend: “That Congress will act to ensure that needed health care reform will truly protect the life, dignity and health of all and that we will raise our voices to protect the unborn and the most vulnerable and to preserve freedom of conscience. We pray to the Lord.”
More information is available at the website, www.usccb.org/healthcare.
The Indiana Catholic Conference includes a menu option on its website to assist concerned citizens in contacting their elected officials at local, state and national levels.
Visitors to www.indianacc.org may click on the menu option, “Legislative Action Center” to find names and contact information for elected officials.
One click will take visitors to the sites of either Senator Dick Lugar or Senator Evan Bayh. By entering their ZIP code, visitors can find names and contact information for their U.S. representative, their state senator and representative, and other information.