USCCB Action Alert on Hatch-Nelson.

The press release from yesterday:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

3211 FOURTH STREET NE • WASHINGTON DC 20017-1194 • 202-541-3160
WEBSITE: WWW.USCCB.ORG/healthcare • FAX 202-541-3339

December 4, 2009

Support the Hatch-Nelson Amendment to Stop Abortion Funding in Health Care Reform!

The full Senate is considering their health care reform bill. The bishops are strongly urging the Senate to
incorporate essential changes to the Senate’s health care reform bill to ensure that needed health care
reform legislation truly protects the life, dignity, consciences and health of all. The amendment to
maintain the prohibition on federal funding of abortion could be voted on as early as Monday,
December 7. Please contact your Senators today!

Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) have submitted an amendment that like the
Stupak amendment that was included in the final House bill, prevents this legislation from mandating
abortion coverage or providing federal funds for coverage that includes elective abortions. Those
wishing to purchase abortion coverage may continue to do so with their own private funds, but not in the
government-run health care plan (“community health insurance option”) or with the help of federal
subsidies.

Senate: On November 18, Senate leadership unveiled its health care reform bill, The Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act. This bill has been brought to the floor by inserting its text into H.R. 3590, an
unrelated House-passed tax measure. Debate and votes have begun and may continue until the
Christmas recess.

In a November 20 letter to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. bishops urged essential changes in the Senate bill:
to retain federal policy on abortion funding and conscience protection; to protect access to health care
for immigrants; and to provide for adequate affordability and coverage standards. The bishops said:
“Sadly, the legislative proposal recently unveiled in the Senate does not meet these moral criteria.” The
bishops specifically said that if the bill’s serious defects on abortion are not corrected, “the current
legislation should be opposed.”

ACTION: Contact Members now through e-mail, phone calls or FAX letters. 1) Send an e-mail at
www.usccb.org/action. 2) Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Members’
local offices. Full contact info can be found on Members’ Web sites at www.house.gov and
www.senate.gov.

MESSAGE—SENATE: “Please support the Hatch-Nelson Amendment to uphold longstanding
policies against abortion funding, and please protect conscience rights in health care reform.
WHEN: Senate floor debate on the amendment may begin the week of December 7.

WATCH FOR ADDITIONAL ACTION ALERTS! As the Senate continues to consider amendments
to the health care bill on abortion funding, conscience protections, improving affordability and coverage
and protecting immigrants’ health care, the USCCB will send Action Alerts to update you on advocacy
needed to support health care legislation that protects the life and dignity of all people from conception
until natural death.

For more information, please visit www.usccb.org/healthcare. Thank you for your advocacy!
emails may be sent by going here

It's Wrong 'Cause They're Christian Science.

From the New York Times today, an article on the provision proposed for the health care bill that would cover prayer for the sick, submitted by the Christian Science church:

Although the Christian Science measure calls for reimbursement for some basic forms of care for the sick, like helping them eat and bathe, the prayer component has drawn fierce opposition from various civil liberties groups and child-protection advocates. They say it would violate the separation of church and state and could endanger the lives of minors whose parents turn to prayer rather than medicine when their children are ill.

In the past, some members of the church, formally known as the Church of Christ, Scientist, have been prosecuted for allowing children to die instead of treating them medically. But such cases are rare. And while healing through prayer remains their central belief, church officials say they do not forbid conventional medical treatment.

The church has had powerful allies. Earlier this year, its reimbursement measure passed two committees in the House and one in the Senate.

The Senate health committee acted at the behest of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, where the church has its headquarters, and Senator Orrin G. Hatch, a Utah Republican who is a Mormon and has said the measure would ensure that the health legislation “does not discriminate against any religion.”

In the end, critics said it was unconstitutional, and the measure was dropped from the final House bill and from the Senate version being debated now.

Of course it's unconstitutional to allow the Christian Science church to insert their faith-based prayer coverage into health care cause they're well, unAmerican, a cult, you know, not real Christians. But let every other tax-exempt Catholic or evangelical backed group push to limit reproductive rights, gay rights, elder rights and well, it's ok?

Senator Nelson said this week that he is waiting for the USCCB to weight in on his Stupak-Pitts-like anti abortion amendment before he poses it to the Senate. Perfectly fine and constitutional, right? The title of the article is, witlessly, "To A Divisive Debate, Now Add Religion." As if religion is only making an entrance when it is backed by the Christian Science church?