Denver, Colo., Aug 11, 2009 / 16:00 pm
Whether or not the White House and Congress are really seeking to find common ground on health care reform legislation will be discovered in the details of the plan put forth, Archbishop Charles Chaput said today, warning against any attempts to place an abortion mandate in the reform bills.
The "common ground" message, Archbishop Chaput wrote, is "a very welcome theme" and along with the concept of the "common good" comprises a central message of Catholic social teaching.
"This is why the Church always seeks to work cooperatively with people of other faiths and no faith to secure the basic elements of human dignity for all our citizens—decent housing, a living wage, justice under the law and adequate food and health care," he explained.
Promoting human dignity has also been the impetus behind the U.S. bishops’ push for national health care reform "for the past several decades," Chaput said. "It’s also why the Church, in principle, supports current efforts to craft legislation that would ensure basic health care coverage for all Americans."