Another Voice / Health reform
Bishops’ influence on House bill disrespects other faiths
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Freedom of religion, diversity and responsibility have been some of the fundamental religious principles for Unitarians and Universalists during the 178 years we have worshipped in Buffalo and Western New York. As the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, I have seen how the people of my church depend on their faith in these principles to live well and survive in this world.
But our nation’s health care debate has had a shocking disrespect for my church and its faith in recent weeks. When bishops from the Catholic Church wore their clerical collars to Capitol Hill to represent their opposition to abortion, they drove a wedge through the bill that should help millions of people in our country to get health care.
As it stands now, the health care reform bill, reflecting one narrow religious view, restricts access to safe and legal contraception and abortion.
There is a real-life impact to restricting abortion coverage. The recommendations made by the bishops, called the Stupak Amendment, were placed in the final House health care reform bill.
This language replaced a carefully crafted compromise that left the status quo in access to safe and legal abortion. The bishops believed there was no room for compromise, and the result is that women of all faiths will be restricted in their access to a safe and legal health care service if the views of just one religion become law in this health care bill.
There is a wide array of faiths in our country. Many, including my faith, have a pro-choice position. People of faith are often pro-choice largely because of their faith traditions, not in spite of them.
Individuals face countless reasons that they may choose to use a birth control method, choose to end their reproductive years early through sterilization or choose safe and legal abortion care. These reasons must be respected, and faith leaders are a resource to help women and their families come to healthy and appropriate decisions about when and how to start a family. It is not right that one religious perspective be forced onto all women and their families through health insurance laws. Why should people from all the religions be forced to abide by religious views of a few?
Applying one faith perspective to the health dialogue disrespects the variety of rich religious views in this country. The health care bill, as it stands, applies a single religious judgment, with the force of the law, on people of other faiths. I urge people of faith to contact their senators and ask that the language be removed from the final bill that goes to President Obama.
The Rev. Joel Miller is minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo.
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