Pope, church leaders call for guaranteed health care for all people

[kpete]

Source: Catholic News Service

Pope, church leaders call for guaranteed health care for all people


(CNS/Paul Haring)

By Sarah Delaney
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI and other church leaders said it was the moral responsibility of nations to guarantee access to health care for all of their citizens, regardless of social and economic status or their ability to pay.

Access to adequate medical attention, the pope said in a written message Nov. 18, was one of the "inalienable rights" of man.

The pope's message was read by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, to participants at the 25th International Conference of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry at the Vatican Nov. 18-19.

The theme of this year's meeting was "Caritas in Veritate - toward an equitable and human health care."

Read more: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1004736.htm

[ananda]

1. But does that include ALL kinds of healthcare?

Including birth control, morning after pill, and pregnancy termination?

[Angry Dragon]

2. Of course it does

the church would want you to have everything that would make your life better

:evilgrin:

I just wonder if the church is going to start spending some of their billions to help with this

[piratefish08]

9. HIV victims? mental health counseling for abuse victims?

[defendandprotect]

24. Except US Catholic Bishops and Rome were chasing down Pelosi to stop

government run health care -- especially if it included reproductive rights!

Meanwhile, Catholics supported a government run medical program by 73% -- and 83% if

Latins were included! And, they wanted the full range of reproductive care -- all of

it by large majorities -- and when it came to simple abortion CHOICE they supported that

by 51% !!

Catholic women have just as many aboritons as any other women ---

Only way the Vatican can regain control over these women and reproduction is by influencing

governments to BAN abortion and birth control!

[Kolesar]

3. Good. I hope we hear a lot of advocacy for health care from the "faith community"

:yay:

[OHdem10]

4. Thank you, Pope and Church Leaders---for showing the church's

role in Social Justice is not dead.

[onehandle]

5. Social Justice you can believe in. nt

[denverbill]

6. Will they deny communion to anyone who blocks universal health care then? n/t

[gaijinlaw]

10. ^THIS^

[orleans]

7. this should send catholic pukes spinning

OMG! MY CHURCH IS A SOCIALIST!

[Dappleganger]

8. Yes it is.

As a christian who is an unashamed believer in social justice this is one of the basics.

[bc3000]

11. The Pope can shut the hell up. The Catholic Church supports the republicans who deny health care.

They also preach against war while supporting the politicians who wage it.

[jkappy]

13. You my be mainly right, but

these very official statements have quite a lot of political clout. If nothing else, the Left can quote the Pope on war and health care----a great number of Catholics were morally outraged by the Vietnam War, for example, which helped to bring it to an end. You might compare the Pope on social issues to UN pronouncements on the same--very similar, and sometimes the papal declarations are even stronger. Take what you can get---from this unlikely source. This is the way liberal Catholics see it, and so why not us.

[DeadEyeDyck]

29. when America

takes orders from the Pope, we have rolled back history to pre-Martin Luther era.

[Javaman]

12. This just in...

right wing lables Pope and church commie socialistic fascist liberal hate monsters.

[slay]

14. Wow - one of the few times I agree with da Pope and other church leaders

i agree 100% - health care should be an "inalienable right". that's why i feel the so called "heath care reform" we got was BULLSHIT. We need single-payer, Canada style, or British style health care - but what we got was just more sucking up to big insurance and fixing a few things while leaving the overall HORRIBLE for-profit (HUGE profit) system in place. And it was Democrats who did this. Unreal. Um President Obama - why did the phrase "single-payer" NEVER ONCE cross your lips when discussing health care reform? Argh!

[boppers]

23. Obama promised people could keep their current plans, repeatedly.

In case you missed the fight over Cadillac plans, lots of folks don't want a single payer system.

[slay]

26. And that helps the rest of us how?

We'll never know if people wanted single-payer cause OBAMA NEVER EVEN BROUGHT IT UP! Sheesh.

[boppers]

28. Well, if you want a Democratic president to fight against Labor unions... good luck.

I want a national public option. I'm fine with multiple payers, as long as I can choose the payer, and one of those options is non-profit, and has federal authority behind it.

[Enthusiast]

31. "Lots of folks" can just STFU.

There is only one way to provide decent cost effective health care to the entire population.

[ronnie624]

33. I think if U.S. Americans were properly informed on the issue,

instead of being deliberately confused by propaganda, they would be much more inclined to supporting a single payer system.

Poll: Majority Would Pay Higher Taxes For Universal Health Care

<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-4923731-503544.html>

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll:

Do you favor or oppose, "Having a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance through an expanded, universal form of Medicare-for all?"
Favor 58%, Oppose 38%, NA/DK 3%

Time Magazine:

Would you favor or oppose a program that creates a national single-payer plan similar to Medicare for all, in which the government would provide healthcare insurance to all Americans?
Favor 49%, Oppose 46%, NA/DK 5%

New York Times/CBS News Poll:

Americans are more likely today to embrace the idea of the government providing health insurance than they were 30 years ago. 59% say the government should provide national health insurance, including 49% who say such insurance should cover all medical problems.

<http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/PollResults.html>


It's too bad those who prefer a completely privatized health care payment system, also control the news and information that most people see.

[Kennah]

15. Good on ya, Your Eminence

Friend of mine is a Catholic, and it stuns me that he's friends with an agnostic pantheist like me. However, he's noted that the Catholics who drive him absolutely batty are single issue Catholics who vote Republican because of abortion. I find him absolutely genuine in his faith, and he's a greenie-weenie, commie, pinko, NPR listen, PBS watching, leftist like me. He's even moderately in agreement with my gun nut views.

[valerief]

16. Sorry, Popey, you're still not one of the good guys. nt

[EC]

17. So where was the church on this last year?

Weren't the right wing Catholics screaming about "socialist medicine" right along with the other ranters?

[groundloop]

19. Many national church organizations WERE calling for universal access to healthcare

last year during all the debates. MSM just didn't cover the fact very much.

[Beartracks]

20. Word. n/t

[Justitia]

18. Too bad the Amer Council of Bishops doesn't agree -eom

[hedgehog]

36. That's United States Council of Catholic Bishops - and you're dead right !

There was a lot of behind the scenes fussing because a lot of Sisters who actually work with the sick and operate hospitals were behind the Health Care Reform Bill 100%!

[CBHagman]

21. My archdiocese...

...filled our Sunday bulletins with requests that parishioners take a stand against gay marriage and abortion. Catholic Charities even eliminated spousal health insurance for its employees rather than face the prospect of covering same-sex partners.

In short, though the church does indeed teach that health care is a right, not a privilege, aside from some terrific nuns and others who got out there to support health care reform, there was a decided lack of leadership from the powers that be in the archdiocese.

If you talk to individual priests and nuns, the story might be very different, and usually is, in my experience. But the top leadership really let the people down last spring.

[hughee99]

22. Amen, and we can revoke the church's tax exemption to help pay for it! n/t

[defendandprotect]

25. We can also stop subsidizing "faith-based" organizations ... !!!

This is getting to be a really huge number -- ages ago it was somewhere

over $500 million a year --

and Obama increased the amounts!

but we can't afford MEDICARE FOR ALL --!!

[HCE SuiGeneris]

27. Damn Commie Pope

This is beyond the pale!

[Enthusiast]

30. Well! Glenn Beck warned

us about churches that concern themselves with social justice. I'll just take my pencil and slash a line through Catholicism as a religion I was considering. :sarcasm:

[Kingofalldems]

32. Beck won't like this one

Is the church in cahoots with Soros?

[David__77]

34. The church should also condemn capitalism.

Capitalism is contrary to church doctrine. Unfortunately, feudalism is most compatible with the theology.

[fishwax]

35. wow, first condoms and now universal health care

I wonder what's next :bounce: