Archbishop Aymond has it wrong on Health Insurance Reform

Even though I respect a principled stance on pro-life issues, I must respectfully disagree with Archbishop Greg Aymond of New Orleans, In this week's Clarion Herald (NOLA's Catholic weekly), Abp. Aymond says (pdf):

It is disappointing that the Catholic Health Association supported the bill. The end – providing access to health care for more people – does not justify using our tax dollars to fund abortion.

This is where the principled stance of the Catholic Church runs into a head-on collision with the reality of 40+ million uninsured people. Again, while I respect the belief he is expressing, Fr. Greg is still playing a trade-off game by taking this position. Consider for a moment the outcome of Aymond getting what he wants, namely sinking the reform bill because of it's less-than-unequivocal language regarding abortion. How many abortions does that really stop that aren't happening now? Then consider how many uninsured pregnant women will now have the opportunity to get proper pre-natal care because they will now have access to health insurance. Further consider how many women will be able to continue to provide proper healthcare for their children because the child will not be considered a "pre-existing condition" if the mother changes jobs or comes off unemployment.

While the NCCB's hard-line stance against abortion appears at first glance to be a principled pro-life stance, that stance must be measured in the all-too-nuanced real world. Would sinking health insurance reform over abortion actually kill more babies?

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