September 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On Monday, September 21, the Catholic Medical Association issued an open letter to Catholic organizations and individual Catholics to share its views on key prudential aspects of health care reform legislation. In the open letter the organization states they believe the United States is “facing a crisis, not only in health-care financing and delivery, but in the health-care reform process itself” and that “there exists a real danger that misguided legislation could make our current problems even worse.”
The letter called for a renewed emphasis on the principle of subsidiarity across the spectum of issues in health care financing and services. The letter critiques the federal government-centered approach in legislation passed out of congressional committees. “Even apart from the issue of abortion and respect for conscience rights,” says the CMA, “such an approach is wrong in principle, demonstrably ineffective in practice, and dangerous given the Obama administration's evident refusal to respect human life.”
The letter signed by CMA President Louis Breschi, M.D. concludes that it would be better to delay the current process until a much sounder measures can be developed. He states,
“It would be better to forgo long-needed changes in health-care financing and delivery in the short-term if these would lead to a long-term, systemic policy regime that is inimical to respect for life, religious freedom, and the goods served by the principle of subsidiarity. Rather than accept such an outcome, we should take the time required to implement reform measures that are sound in both principled and practical terms.”
The full text of the open letter can be read by clicking here.