Posted on 04/25/2007 2:57:26 AM PDT by Bluestateredman
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Religious group attacks religion in U.S. healthcare By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Tue Apr 24, 6:11 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A coalition of religious leaders took on the Catholic Church, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Bush administration on Tuesday with a plea to take religion out of health care in the United States.
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They said last week's Supreme Court decision outlawing a certain type of abortion demonstrated that religious belief was interfering with personal rights and the U.S. health care system in general.
The group, calling itself the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, said it planned to submit its proposals to other church groups and lobby Congress and state legislators.
"With the April 18 Supreme Court decision banning specific abortion procedures, concerns are being raised in religious communities about the ethics of denying these services," the group said in a statement.
"They are imposing their points of view," Barbara Kavadias, director of field services for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, told reporters in a telephone briefing.
She noted that the five Supreme Court justices on the majority in the 5-4 decision were all Catholic men -- Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Antonin Scalia.
All were appointed by conservative Republican presidents who oppose abortion, including President George W. Bush.
The group also complained about Catholic-owned hospitals that refuse to sterilize women who ask for it, refuse to let doctors perform abortions and do not provide contraception.
"Doctors, pharmacists and nurses are also increasingly exercising a so-called 'religious or moral objection,' refusing to provide essential services and often leaving patients without other options," the group said in a statement.
CODIFYING RELIGION
"And now, to make it worse, the government is codifying these refusals, first through legislation and now with the recent Supreme Court decision, where five Catholic men decided that they could better determine what was moral and good than the physicians, women and families facing difficult, personal choices in problem pregnancies," it added.
The group includes ordained Protestant ministers, a Jewish activist, an expert on women's reproductive rights and several physicians.
"The threat comes from a few, but powerful, religions and a few ... powerful religious leaders who pretend to speak for all religions," said Larry Greenfield, executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago.
"Health care decisions ought to be made freely, based on medical expertise and individual conscience," he added.
The group wrote up a series of guidelines and asked for all health care providers to implement them.
They include allowing doctors to use best medical practices, providing comprehensive counseling on sexual or reproductive health and an agreement to honor advance directives -- including "do not resuscitate" orders.
"Refusal to provide health care would be balanced by alternate service delivery so that no one would be victimized when another exercises his/her conscience," the guidelines read.
Marie Hilliard of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia said she had grave concerns about the report.
"There is no recognition of the true meaning of the separation of church and state, which mandates that the free exercise of religion, including that of the provider, be respected," she said.
"What we have tried to avoid is to be coercive ourselves," Greenfield said. "We have tried to allow for the freedom of conscience of every participant in the health care system."
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Hate filled, bigotry from a phony abortion industry front group.
What about euthanasia? Is the termination of unfit next?
Whatever name they claim, they are followers of Moloch.
Okay, where does the author of this journalistic masterpiece list the names of these "leaders", i.e. what their professions are in the religious community, where are they from geographically, what denominations do they purport to represent, what churches or organizations are they affiliated with, what other non-religious organizations are they affiliated with, and so forth.
Most people reading this propaganda never ask these questions and just take at face value that these "leaders" represent anything of note or substance in the religious world.
They could be Wiccans, Wobblies or Mugwumps for all we know.
Leni
Oh really...so if a nurse takes it upon him/herself to administer "mercy killings" with the justification of freedom from religious/moral tenets this is reasonable? Partial birth abortion was flat out MURDER and should never have been legal.
Your comment on the immorality and evil along with others of a similar vein exemplify why I converted to the Roman Catholic faith. Now if we could get equal opposition from the Church on homosexuality.
“Perhaps we shouldn’t allow people who attend church to vote. after all that fits the true meaning of the separation of state from church.”
Scary thought...but that may be their ultimate goal!
“They said last week’s Supreme Court decision outlawing a certain type of abortion demonstrated that religious belief was interfering with personal rights and the U.S. health care system in general.”
Just how far are they willing to take this personal rights hokum? Murder is to be sanctioned...as a personal right? Why have any code of laws? We must have the personal right to do any thing we wish.
Abortion is not health care.
I’m an atheist. I agree with the decision. Where does that leave their argument?
Well, yes, there is that behind it.
Exactly! Are not the doctors and nurses “participants” in the health care system? Supposing they don’t wish to carry out abortions and 2mercy killings”? Is their alternative to leave the profession?
All this talk of imposing moral standards and coercion of belief is all very well, but these people carefully ignore that is exactly what they are guilty of themselves.
The activist is not "Jewish". Jewish Law clearly defines abortion as murder.
The this group, being pregnant itself IS the "problem".
A suspicious name for a "religious" group.
Sounds like another front group for the Sex Positive (hedonist) Agenda. If it feels good do it. Abortion is a right. Everyone sexually active at every age. No moral judgements over any sexual pairings. Abstinence is unhealthy because it is a supression of sexual desires. Et al.
It works for Fred Phelps (D) and his family's cult.
I would not say there are "plenty", but there are quite a few of us...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
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