On September 21, the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) released an “Open Letter to Catholics and Catholic Organizations,” regarding health care reform; we fully supported the statement calling it “a model of Catholic thought and insight.”
The letter urged reform, but did so cautiously: it explicitly recognized a “real dangerthat misguided legislation could make our current problems even worse.” (Its italics.) Furthermore, the CMA warned that a “government-controlled approach is flawed in principle and ineffective, if not dangerous, in practice.” It also noted the government’s “poor track record of managing large programs in a cost-effective manner.”
Central to CMA’s concerns is the lack of respect the Obama administration has shown for respecting “the dignity of human life.” It concluded by calling upon “all Catholics and Catholic organizations to reaffirm their support for the foundational ethical and social teachings of the Church which provide a framework for authentic health care reform, and to unite as one in an uncompromising commitment to defend the sanctity of life and the conscience rights of all providers as essential parts of health-care reform.”
It is impossible to quarrel with this formulation from a Catholic perspective, and that is why the Catholic League stands behind it without reservation.
