Bishop Thomas Wenski Speaks out on Health Care Reform

We continue to insist that health care reform is too important and legitimate a goal to allow it to be hijacked by destructive agendas such as government mandated abortion coverage.

The Battle for Catholic Education - Prevent the Collapse Now!

ORLANDO, Fl (Catholic Online) - Bishop Thomas Wenski is the Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando, Florida. He recently presided at the Mass welcoming the Catholic Leadership Conference. The Liturgy took place in the beautiful Basilica of Mary, Queen of the Universe.

His warm welcome, gracious and dignified manner of presiding at the Liturgy and his obvious love for the Lord and His Church were an inspiration to all of the Leaders gathered for Mass. I was honored to serve as a Deacon at the Liturgy. Bishop Wenski recently wrote this article on the pressing issue of Health Care Reform in the United States which we present for all of our readers. The article can be found on the Web Site of the Diocese, http://www.orlandodiocese.org

*****

Bishop Wenski on Speaks out on Health Care Reform

"Last month found the nation engaged in an intensive, if not divisive, national debate over health care insurance reform. The debates, unfortunately, have generated much heat and little light. There is wide consensus that the status quo is inequitable and ultimately unsustainable. However, while the White House has championed "reform" it has been less than clear on the details. While much of the debate has centered around the rubric "Obama Care", there is, as I write this column, no one proposal from the White House; rather there are three distinct bills in the House and perhaps two more percolating in the Senate.

For decades, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have been and continue to be consistent advocates for comprehensive health care reform - a reform that leads to health care for all. (In 2003, the Florida Bishops issued a pastoral statement entitled On Access to Health Care.) Health Care is an essential good for every human person. In a society such as ours, no one should lack access to decent health care. Any reform should aim at health care that is accessible, affordable, and respects the life and dignity of every human being from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

The Catholic Church in this country is an employer and thus a purchaser of health care. At the same time, the Church is a provider of health care (one of every six people in the United States seeking hospital care receives it in a Catholic institution). Also, each day, in our parishes, our pantries, our Catholic Charities offices we strive to help the people who have fallen through the cracks: those who are not served or underserved by our present system of health care delivery. So we bring no little experience to the debate. We support truly universal access to health care. We want care accessible and affordable to the poor and vulnerable. We champion efforts to improve efficiency and quality while restraining costs and applying them equitably across the spectrum of payers.

Enjoy Daily Readings? Pay it Forward

Many have expressed grave reservations about the financial costs of the various proposals that are working their way through Congress; others have expressed equally grave reservations about an expanded intrusion of the state in what has been in our country the purview, in great measure, of the private sector. These reservations raised by various constituencies are certainly not without merit. The Church is certainly not disinterested in these issues; however, for the Church the fundamental issue is one of human life and dignity.

For this reason, the Conference of Catholic Bishops has remained engaged in the current debate in order to address what are some very problematic provisions in current bills so that they are not in any final bill. At this moment rather than oppose legislation that is not yet formalized we want-through dialogue over principles and policies- to ensure that any enacted legislation will be actually something positive. At any rate, we continue to insist that health care reform is too important and legitimate a goal to allow it to be hijacked by destructive agendas such as government mandated abortion coverage.

As the debate continues, the bishops will continue to advocate for health care reform that is truly universal and that protects human life at every stage of development. We remain resolute in insisting that the federal government continue its essential and longstanding prohibitions on abortion funding and abortion mandates. Our government and laws must also retain explicit protection for the freedom of conscience of health care workers and health care institutions. Genuine health care reform that protects the life and dignity of all is a moral imperative and a vital national obligation."

*****

We thank the Bishop for his servant leadership to the faithful in the Diocese of Orlando. We also thank him for this clear statement on the issues that matter most as the debate over Health Care Reform in the United States continues.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'