Catholic Nuns and Bishops differ on Obamacare

Nuns and Bishops at odds - A leadership crisis with human life in the balance - who wins?. Image Credit: Oil painting signed by Stephson - Edmund Jenks (2010)

Catholic Nuns and Bishops differ on Obamacare

Today, it was reported that an association - Catholic Health Association (CHA) - that purports to represent 69,000 Catholic Nuns came out with a statement of support for the Senate bill on Healthcare Reform. This statement follows by about a day and a half a statement released by a group of Catholic Bishops urging members of the House of Representatives to vote against the Senate bill on Healthcare Reform because it will allow the Federal Government (with taxpayer money) to pay for the ending of human life in the womb.

The Associated Press, today released the following headline and excerpted text -

'Catholic nuns urge passage of Obama's health bill'

Some 60 leaders of religious orders representing 59,000 Catholic nuns Wednesday sent lawmakers a letter urging them to pass the Senate health care bill. It contains restrictions on abortion funding that the bishops say don't go far enough.

The letter says that "despite false claims to the contrary, the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions." The letter says the legislation also will help support pregnant women and "this is the real pro-life stance."

This small dispatch, however provocative, is greatly misleading because the timing of this makes it a lie ... because it happens to be three-month old news originally published in the New York Times.

About a day and a half earlier, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Monday it opposes the Democratic health care plan heading for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives because of its language on abortion. The group noted that it liked the original House health care bill because it would continue the strict ban on federal financing of abortion.

"'This is not quibbling over technicalities,' Cardinal [Francis] George, [USCCB president] said. 'The deliberate omission in the Senate Bill of the necessary language that could have taken this moral question off the table and out of play leaves us still looking for a way to meet the President’s and our concern to provide health care for those millions whose primary care physician is now an emergency room doctor'"

The sad part in all of this is that Catholic leadership is all for a socialist solution to be an integral part of the set-up here in the Christian ideals of self-reliance inspired United States.

Being that it was the unified vote of "Progressive" yet practicing Catholics and Jews that gave Barack Obama his winning margin of victory ... we, at MAXINE have to ask, why are they, the Catholic leadership, quibbling over the spilled milk of human life now? They all knew what would happen if this man made it to the highest office in our land.

Also, will this Congressional process have an effect on their stance come November and the 2010 mid-term elections? We do not think they have the strength of their convictions.