The article in USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-10-15-catholic-health_N.htm, discuses how the Catholic Bishops might not support healthcare reform if it will include abortions and contraception.
The article confirms we discussed in class that Catholics, in general, feel that universal healthcare is a government responsibility because we’re supposed to take care our neighbors. But even though most Catholics are for universal healthcare, the Bishops might not support it because there’s nothing explicit written in the bill about abortion and birth control.
I don’t really know the duties of a bishop, but I understand how they can influence politics by urging the members of their churches to come together to boycott something. But I don’t think they should try to stop healthcare reform if the majority of their members support it because it might alienate their members. Even though the members wouldn’t leave the church, they might start questioning these high positions. And if the bishops are able to pressure a senator to vote against the bill, the people who voted for him or her will think that the senator doesn’t stand for his or her beliefs and will not vote for the person again. I know how in class, we discussed that the Catholics are powerful in politics, but it would look really bad if they went against something and didn’t get much support from their own members.
No comments:
Post a Comment