Abortion and the health care bill are both contenders for the most controversial issue in American politics. The troubled health care bill has been subjected to attacks on all sides, and not surprisingly, for the fact that it allows the possibility of using federal funds to support abortions.

On January 26th, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sent a letter to both houses of congress urging them to reconsider their respective latest versions of the bill. The letter outlined the three main concerns that they had with the bill: that it ought to provide coverage for a greater number of people, that it makes certain that immigrants are allowed coverage, and that it maintains requirements that federal funds not be used for abortions.

In support of the first point, the bishops pointed out that the reform bill would still leave a gaping hole of between 18 and 23 million people without coverage. The bishops then called for coverage to be extended to the poor, specifically “those living at 133 percent of the federal poverty level or lower.” This Christ-like concern for the poor is more than just a Christian call, it points out a statistic that should be troubling for anyone interested in serious reform of the health care system with the interest of his fellow man in mind.

With reference to the abortion issue, the bishops were quite clear, saying that “Disappointingly, the Senate-passed bill in particular does not meet our moral criteria on life”. The bishops pointed out a “longstanding federal policy against using federal funds for abortions”. Their disappointment is founded not simply in Catholic belief, but in a strong federal precedent, which the Senate’s bill ignores.

As the two houses of congress struggle to align the language of their two different bills, the debate is only intensifying. The Bishops were careful to make clear their displeasure with the Senate’s version of the bill, saying that the House version meets their criteria in this regard.

Those who support the health care bill in its current form would certainly be wise to consider the provisions that the bishops put forward. Including the thorny issue of abortion has certainly not made the health care bill a smoother pill for congress to swallow. If compromises are to be made (and they must be) it would make an abundance of sense to eliminate the aspects of the bill that are making the bill so fraught with disturbances, something that the abortion issue has a knack for creating.

The goal of the bill is, as Obama said in his State of the Union address “that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American”. The USCCB pointed out flaws in the bill that should concern every Catholic. The language of the senate bill has brought in the strife and disagreement that always accompanies the mention of abortion, and as a result, has delayed the realization of the bill’s ultimate goal.

The USCCB has raised the concern that any healthcare bill ought to be concerned with the preservation and protection of life in, however humble its form. The inclusion of the provision of federal funds for abortion is then therefore both politically and morally unwise.

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