New Voice Media | Associated Baptist Press
Saturday, July 31, 2010
| Faith leaders say abortion provisions adequate in health-care bill |
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| By Bob Allen | |
| Thursday, March 11, 2010 | |
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WASHINGTON (ABP) -- Twenty-five evangelical and Catholic leaders wrote members of Congress March 11 urging them not to let a dispute over abortion derail passage of health-care reform. Some pro-life Democrats have said they will vote against President Obama's proposed overhaul of health care unless language restricting the use of federal dollars for abortion is strengthened. The religious readers, however, said they believe the legislation not only maintains long-standing restrictions on federal funding of abortion, but also provides new support for vulnerable pregnant women that could actually reduce the number of abortions. "As Christians committed to a consistent ethic of life and deeply concerned with the health and well-being of all people, we want to see health-care reform enacted," the leaders said. Citing a "lack of clear and accurate information" about the bill, the leaders laid out a page-by-page listing of provisions related to abortion and supports for pregnant women in HR 3590. "We are now at a critical moment in the history of our country," the letter concluded. "More than 30 million Americans may finally gain access to a health care system that is affordable -- providing families, children and seniors with fundamental care that is essential to human dignity. We respectfully ask that you make an informed decision about this legislation based on careful deliberation guided by facts." Signers included high-profile evangelical leaders Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action; Jim Wallis, president and CEO of Sojourners; Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland Church in Longwood, Fla.; and Brian McLaren, author, speaker and founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Md. Baptist signers included David Gushee, chairman of the New Evangelical Partnership for Common Good and a columnist for Associated Baptist Press, and Glen Stassen, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary who formerly taught at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. -30- This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
                Comments (17)
 ...
written by KT2005, March 11, 2010
Right to Life has been fighting against abortion for some time. I believe they have earned both credibility and respect. The Right to Life folks are scared to death of the Senate Health Bill. They say it will lead to federal funding of abortion. I choose to believe Right to Life over 25 well meaning but less experienced individuals.
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written by Broadman, March 12, 2010
I think you forgot to list the "Evangelical leaders" at the end of the article.
As well as the "Catholic leaders," for that matter. Life, death and murder
written by dlhunt, March 12, 2010
A group of people professing to be pro-life hold the lives and health of millions hostage because of a procedure that a small number of people will use. Mentioned in this article there are 25 leaders of faith communities are doing their best to petition government to provide access to affordable health care to all and not to let funding the abortion procedure stand in the way.
In the US, pregnant women wishing to carry their child to term die and their unborn children with them because they cannot access affordable or universal pre-natal health care. That is a form of abortion which the pro-life folk tell us is murder. People who never access abortion services die because they will be denied life saving health care by the insurance companies because they are unnecessarily usurious and outlandishly expensive. This, too is murder. Anyone who is into prooftexting the Bible will tell us that murder is sin. In many US states the punishment for murder is death. Guilt for this crime is a heavy cloak to wear. These 25 leaders who have written members of Congress seek a means to stopping these murders. They are motivated by Christian faith and I think they should have strong support from the Christian community. ...
written by KT2005, March 12, 2010
Abortion is "a procedure that a small number of people will use"?
Over 40,000,000 people/babies have been killed! We cannot pay for social security because forty million people are dead and cannot pay taxes. Who knows what these individuals would have accomplished: perhaps new businesses, a cure for Aids, inventions, etc. "People who never access abortion services die because they will be denied life saving health care" Anyone can go to the ER and get free care. We who have insurance suffer extremely high prices because in our health bills we pay for those who cannot afford it. Americans are living longer than ever. This proves that people are not being denied care in the manner you say. The problem with our health care system is that its going bankrupt. Our health system is the envy of the world, and people come from the ends of the earth into the U.S. to receive the best care. Part of the reason our system is so good is that we pay to take care of older Americans. This huge expense creates enormous profits which fund research and development, which in turn creates new medicine, medical techniques, and cures. We can remove the profit motive with a government system that decreases doctors pay and makes motivated college graduates become businessmen and not doctors (This would also cut R&D and stop progress in finding new cures), or we can empower people to know how much procedures cost. I never know how much my doctors visit totally cost. Why? Because I pay $20 and the insurance pays the rest. Why shop around when the best deal is always $20. This system leads to waste and fraud. Wasted money is our problem. Where are the masses dying without health care? If there are so many then why is life expectancy going up and up and up. President Obama wants to create a European style system where government decides who gets care and who does not. This is VERY scary. The government has already decided that babies in the womb are not worth saving. Is grandma worth saving? Do you want the government making that choice? ...
written by dlhunt, March 12, 2010
@ KT2005:
Where do you get the figure 40 million? How many are babies, how many are children or adults? How many are aborted feotuses? ...
written by KT2005, March 12, 2010
Thanks for asking dlhunt. I was wrong, there have been almost 50,000,000 babies killed since Roe v. Wade.
http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/abortionstats.html The government's Center for Decease Control keeps track of numbers, as does AGI and PP. If you are wondering, 50,000,000 is 1 out of every 7 Americans. These "religious leaders" are far outnumbered
written by rusjen, March 12, 2010
Wow, 25 "religious leaders", two of them I respect and love, say that the language dealing with abortion is strong enough! What an impressive number!
Thousands of pastors and other "religious leaders" would write and say just the opposite. Most evangelical pastors see abortion as murder and they want nothing to do with it. If you are trying to push this agenda, of passing this horrific government healthcare takeover, then this is not an article to print. It only points out how much of a minority these "religious leaders" find themselves in. ...
written by dlhunt, March 12, 2010
@ KT2005: And if we added another 50 million Americans using the same ecological footprint as the ones who are alive today, then God's creation would be in very rough shape.
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written by dlhunt, March 12, 2010
@ KT2005: And what of the 44,000 living Americans who die each year because they are under or uninsured for health care?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=lack-of-insurance-causes-more-than-2009-09-17 ...
written by KT2005, March 12, 2010
Perspective is very important. Assuming the paper the article references is right (the article suggest many assumptions had to be made to reach that number), read this article. 28,000 patients die because doctors do not do a better job of washing their hands and being clean!
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no2/wenzel.htm To uproot and remake the most successful medical system in the world in order to save 44,000 is obtuse. The profitability of the U.S. health care system funds the majority of the research and development of new medical treatments. Destroying this system will hinder medical discovery and cost lives. . . more lives. The VA hospital system is a good example of government medicine. The vets don't like the system, and Americans will not like government healthcare any more than they do. ...
written by KT2005, March 12, 2010
Also, global warming has been severely damaged by scandal. Some scientist have an agenda and have falsified data. Some of them believe the only way to save the planet is to get rid of people, which is why you may support abortion. The whole world could live in the state of Texas. We do not have an overcrowding problem on the earth. The U.S. is cleaner now than it was 50 years ago. Sure, men need to clean up their mess, but without resources how are we suppose to do this. Environmental zealots want to destroy our economy with government regulation. They shoot themselves in the foot because a healthy economy is needed to raise the tax revenue that cleans the planet.
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written by GregF, March 12, 2010
Apparently someone forgot to inform the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that "abortion provisions adequate in health-care bill."
On the same day of the above letter, 3/11/10, the USCCB wrote an "ACTION ALERT" to all its parishes noting that "the provisions on abortion funding in the current un-amended Senate health care bill are seriously deficient and unacceptable (and it) does not include adequate protection for conscience." The bishops urge the faithful to tell their elected representatives to "oppose any bill unless and until these criteria are met." Source: http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/UPDATED-bulletin-insert.pdf Delusional
written by K Fiala, March 15, 2010
This is why I no longer consider myself a Baptist and in fact am becoming somewhat disgusted with "church" in general. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, not any one pastor or group of so-called "leaders" who have long ago abandoned the freedom Christ gives for statism in an attempt to foist onto government what God calls us to do as individuals in terms of charity. Each time we have Big Government give a cup of water it is in its own name and not the name of Christ...especially at a time when any mere mention of Christianity is being forced from the public square and from our national heritage.
It is simple. The Samaritan gave his own money out of his charity for another. It was a personal decision from his heart. Thou shalt not kill. That's all these "leaders" need to say. They are missing the forest for the trees here and perhaps would do better to spend their time as John the Baptist did. Leaders
written by Bobby McCord, March 15, 2010
These so called Religious Leaders are leaders as far as most of the readers and writers of ABP are concerned. The problem with that is they represent the extreme liberal, socialist, left of Baptist life. I use the term Baptist with a frown when referring to these people. As far as most liberals are concerned the language in Roe vs wade is strong enough. Abortion is the murder of a child not a woman's choice. It is a child not a fetus. But I regress. ABP believes abortion is alright, homosexuality is fine, women in the pulpits is admirable, socialism and communism are better than what we have, as long as we love everyone, accept everyone, feed everyone, and be tolerant towards everyone except those who believe the bible.
... written by tlyak, March 22, 2010
To dlhunt, et. al.: You need to ask yourself the following question: "When would it have been o.k. during Mary's pregnancy to abort the 'fetus' of our Lord Jesus Christ?"
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LOL!!
Mark Osgatharp
Wynne, Arkansas