Washington D.C., Feb 24, 2010 / 03:19 am
The Catholic Medical Association has called for the legislative process on health care reform to “begin anew,” citing “substantial flaws” in existing proposals. The group especially called for protections for the right to life.
Writing in a Feb. 23 open letter, the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) called on Congress and President Obama to respect “fundamental human and constitutional rights” in health care legislation.
“[T]here is no right more basic than the right to life, and no right more central to American constitutional order than the right to freedom of conscience and religion,” the CMA wrote. “Legislation must not compel any public funding of, or provider participation in, abortion.
“Moreover, the rights to conscience and religious liberty of health-care providers must be more comprehensively protected as the power of governmental regulation grows.”