Joint Statement of Archbishops Aymond
and Hughes on Health Care Reform
August 19, 2009
The Catholic bishops in the United
States recognize a pressing need for
health care reform. Too many American
citizens lack basic health care coverage and the cost of health care is
becoming prohibitive for many more.
The Lord Jesus, who came to save us
from our sins, manifested a great concern for the sick in his public
ministry. He also urged us to reach out
to the poor and sick in our midst. The
Church rightly considers that government has a responsibility to ensure access
to basic health care for all.
The bishops do not propose a
specific plan or policy. But we set out
the following principles to shape public policy:
- We need
to develop a plan which ensures access to basic health care for all.
- We need
to make sure that the poor and the vulnerable, including legal immigrants,
are part of this plan.
- We need
to control health care costs so that it is affordable to all.
- We need
to make sure that abortion, euthanasia or other immoral activities are not
mandated or financed with tax payer dollars. This includes conscience protection for
all providers, whether institutions or individual persons, and for all
recipients.
The bishops, without proposing
either a public or private sector option, urge that any plan which is developed
embrace these principles. Catholics are
urged to contact their United States Senators and Representative to ask them to
use these principles to evaluate all proposals that are developed.
Strident or shrill rhetoric does
not help us to engage in civil and respectful deliberation about a serious
social issue with significant moral implications. God grant us the wisdom to discern what is
right and the courage to do it.
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