Sanity in the health care debate
My former diocese, the Diocese of Sioux City, has one stellar Bishop. My aunts refer to Bishop Walker Nickless and Pope Benedict as the “Nick and Benny” show so I knew Bishop Nickless must be doing a stellar job. The one thing I have been most impressed with has been his willingness to tackle the current issues and define them in terms of our Catholic identity. Most recently, he has written about the health care debate and the Catholic’s responsibility. This is an absolute must read. I will attempt to summarize:
Bishop Nickless lays out 4 essential benchmarks for acceptable reform in Health Care. They are:
First and most important, the Church will not accept any legislation that mandates coverage, public or private, for abortion, euthanasia, or embryonic stem-cell research.
Second, the Catholic Church does not teach that “health care” as such, without distinction, is a natural right.
Third, in that category of prudential judgment, the Catholic Church does not teach that government should directly provide health care.
Fourth, preventive care is a moral obligation of the individual to God and to his or her family and loved ones, not a right to be demanded from society.
He expounds each of these examples and explains where the current bill fails to make acceptable reform. There is an end run around the Hyde amendment and the costs will burden the working class.
Leave a Reply