Cardinal George warns Obama against moving U.S. towards despotism

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HHS Conscience Protection Rule

Comments: 18

Washington D.C., Mar 17, 2009 / 02:34 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Francis George has issued a video message asking Catholics to tell the Obama Administration to retain a conscience protection rule for pro-life health care workers. Its preservation is vital to keep the government from “moving our country from democracy to despotism,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation, implemented in the final months of the George W. Bush presidency, made explicit the existing legal protections for medical workers and institutions who object to cooperating in abortions.

On Feb. 27, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that it was reviewing a proposal to lift or modify the HHS rule.

Cardinal George, who is Archbishop of Chicago and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), addressed the proposed change in a two and a half-minute video. Giving an overview of the issue, he said the rule is “one part of the range of legal protections" for health care workers who object to being involved in “abortion and other killing procedures” that contradict their faith.

He connected the HHS rule to respect for religious liberty and the freedom of personal conscience, both of which ensure “our basic freedom from government oppression.”

Speaking on behalf of the U.S. bishops “as Catholic bishops and American citizens,” the cardinal expressed deep concern that removing the rule would be “the first step in moving our country from democracy to despotism.”

“No government should come between an individual person and God—that's what America is supposed to be about,” he commented. “This is the true common ground for us as Americans.”

This being the case, the cardinal said, it is necessary to have legal protection for freedom of conscience and of religion, including “freedom for religious health care institutions to be true to themselves.”

He noted that conscientious objection is already recognized for war protesters and for doctors who do not wish to be involved in administering the death penalty.

“Why shouldn't our government and our legal system permit conscientious objection to a morally bad action, the killing of babies in their mother's womb?” Cardinal George asked. “People understand what really happens in an abortion and in related procedures—a living member of the human family is killed—that's what it's all about—and no one should be forced by the government to act as though he or she were blind to this reality.”

“I ask you please to let the government know that you want conscience protections to remain strongly in place. In particular, let the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington know that you stand for the protection of conscience, especially now for those who provide the health care services so necessary for a good society,” he concluded, giving his thanks and his blessing.

Cardinal George’s video is viewable on the U.S. bishops’ website at http://www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection/ and is also posted at YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NoCRwMqVzQ

The U.S. bishops’ conscience protection site provides additional information and resources as well as a link for concerned Catholics and others to express their views to the HHS. The site reports the submission deadline for comments is April 9.

Comments: 18

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Steph
Austin, TX 03/26/2009 08:09 PM EST

so, Charles, since heart attacks and strokes take the lives of 40 or 50 year olds, every day, does that mean I should be able to kill them, since, by your logic, I, as a Human, shouldn't be held to a higher standard than nature?

and as far as your theocracy arguement, that's exactly what our problem is, we, as people who believe that abortion is wrong, should not be forced to participate in them, and that is what Obama is trying to do, make it so that health care workers will HAVE to perform abortions, even if they believe it is murder.

We are not trying to take away your right to have one, just protecting our right to refuse to give you one.

That would be like my employer telling me that, even though I am a vegetarian, that since I work somewhere that serves steak, I have to eat the steak.

Published by: RCharles
Easton PA USA 03/22/2009 02:37 PM EST

Good Grief, folks. What part of Democracy don't you understand?? An abortion is a legal right in this country, has been for thirty-six years. Those opposed to abortion are NOT forced to have one, are not FORCED to participate in one. But they consistently try to force others to live by their rules.

Listen up: we have a democracy not a theocracy. If you want a theocracy, move to Iran or Saudia Arabia; they've had theocracy government for years.

Besides, Nature discards about half of all embryos every day, millions of them. Since "god" invented Nature these are "god approved" abortions. There is no reason man should have a stricter rule than exists in Nature.

RCharles

Published by: RCharles
Easton, PA usa 03/20/2009 08:42 PM EST

eileen glynn - "taking the life of an innocent child is not the same as driving a bus."
Eileen, we are talking about a clump of eight or sixteen or maybe 256 cells, far short of a human life. Nature aborts fetuses of this size every day, by the millions. Yes, if they manage to get planted and survive, they will become a human being. But Nature doesn't seem to care; about half, HALF!, of all embryos are dumped by Nature. Aborted. In your view, murdered.

So you have to ask, if Nature (as designed by "god") can abort and murder millions of embryos every day, why does man need a stricter set of rules?

RCharles

Published by: Jack
NY 03/20/2009 11:20 AM EST

The President has earned the backing of Catholics who are for abortion and all sorts of evil things. Obama is buidling up the Anti-Church by such means. He is most likely the Antichrist as his actions and sick obsession with abortion speak for themselves. There is to be one Pope after Pope Benedict XVI according to St. Malachy and then "the Just Judge will Judge His people. The End." The End can't be too far off and we can see it by the signs of the times.

JESUS CHRIST IS THE LORD forever!

Hell exists and many people are going sadly there unless they shape up and stop being cruel and evil toward one another. They must turn to the Lord and ask for forgiveness and treat people with charity according to God's will.

Published by: V Weber
Fargo ND USA 03/19/2009 02:18 PM EST

Greetings
Thank You Cardinal George & ArchBishop Chaput warning about the adulation of Pre. Obama.

Published by: NCMike
Waxhaw/NC/USA 03/19/2009 01:56 AM EST

Although the SCOTUS judges have advanced their personal agenda to legalize the killing of one class of people by another, there are still a significant number of Americans who believe that such an action is immoral and sinful. "Thou shall not kill" is rather straight-forward, and it takes as significant amount of moral equivocation to turn that evil into a right. Aside from that, as pacifists have successfully pursued the notion of conscientious objection to absolve them from the need to "kill to protect their country" it is no large stretch of principle to cede that same right to those whose conscience prevents them from participating in the killing of an unborn child. Only intellectual dishonesty or a lack of the ability to apply reasoned analysis can fail to understand the simularity of these positions.

Published by: smc
Maine 03/18/2009 06:03 PM EST

Praise God for meeting with President Obama to defend the unborn. This is a silent war in our Country and we need to work to end it in favor of rights for the unborn.
Thank you, Cardinal George.

Published by: Tsige
Annandale, VA, USA 03/18/2009 03:13 PM EST

True!!! "No government should come between an individual person and God"

Published by: Mary Elizabeth
Katy, TX 03/18/2009 02:36 PM EST

Thanks Cardinal George for speaking out on this critical issue. I have written to the Dept of Human Health Services. We must do all we can to limit the success of those who wish to take our religious rights away. And to those who think abortion is a right, you are wrong. No one has the right to murder an innocent person outside the womb, or inside the womb.Our constitution makes it clear that life is a right. The Supreme Court made a grievous mistake and violated our constitution long ago. We must admit that and make the necessary change so that the right to life is respected everywhere and in every case.God bless you Cardinal George. We stand behind you and beside you.

Published by: C.L.
Selma, CA USA 03/18/2009 02:35 PM EST

I am deeply grateful to the Cardinal.

My fervent hope is that this is not too little, too late.

Published by: Joan L. Roccasalvo
Bronx 03/18/2009 02:21 PM EST

The President has surrounded himself with Catholics who consider themselves devout. Yet he did not include pro-life Democrats and Catholic health administrators in his discussions last week on social issues. He will not listen to the Catholic voice unless the bishops and Catholic leaders address him publicly on the issue of conscience. He has hidden behind his so-called Catholic appointees who agree with his positions and therefore continue scandalizing the faithful with impunity.

Published by: eileen glynn
ireland 03/18/2009 02:12 PM EST

Dear R Charles, taking the life of an innocent child is not the same as driving a bus. All religious belief aside , any person of goodwill should abhor killing another human person.

Published by: NORMA
ROBSTOWN, TX/USA 03/18/2009 12:56 PM EST

JMJT SAVE SOULS.

Published by: Mary Quinn
Penfield /NY/ USA 03/18/2009 10:34 AM EST

Thank you, Cardinal George and may God move his people to action to stop this country's leadership from turning us into a despot state.

Published by: florence
Flushing, New York,USA 03/17/2009 09:44 PM EST

Thank you, Cardinal George!

Published by: Fr D
Rocky Ford 03/17/2009 09:24 PM EST

get this into the bulletin

Published by: RCharles
Easton, PA (Obama won!) 03/17/2009 06:45 PM EST

Cardinal George is, at best, disingenuous. His goal is quite clearly not individual rights but to maintain and expand roadblocks to legal abortions in the USA. He ignores the democratic principles of rule by law; Rowe Vs. Wade established a woman's legal right to an abortion in the USA.

If a person's faith prohibits driving a bus, they should NOT take a job as a bus driver. If they take the job and refuse to drive the bus, they should be terminated.

If a person does not want to be a part of abortion procedures, DON'T TAKE THE JOB. And stop trying to create yet more impediments to legal abortions.

RCharles

Published by: Julie
Chicago 03/17/2009 03:15 PM EST

Bless you Cardinal George!
I only wish the liberal media would give such ethical and responsible commentary the same attention they give the moral relativism they claim is representational of "American freedom"!
We must pray that more influential and well respected leaders like Cardinal George will continue with courage and fortitude to speak the truth.

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