Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

I imagine most people in this country are well aware that there is a battle going on about health care. What probably isn't entirely clear is the battle going on behind the scenes with this bill regarding abortion. There are some people who have decided that this bill is the way to bypass long-standing laws prohibiting federal funding of abortions. They're not doing it directly, which is what is crazy. Instead, they've decided that they'll use federal funds to pay private insurers to cover abortions. The bishops of this country, especially Cardinal Daniel Denardo, deserve respect for the work they've done on investigating and clarifying what is wrong with this bill. He wrote...

"(The bill) does not seem to allow purchasers who exercise freedom of choice or of conscience to 'opt out' of abortion coverage in federally subsidized health plans that include such coverage. Instead it will require purchasers of such plans to pay a distinct fee or surcharge which is extracted solely to help pay for other people's abortions. Further the government agency that currently manages health coverage for federal employees will promote and help subsidize multi-state health plans that include elective abortions, contrary to longstanding law governing this agency."

This probably seems kind of trite criticism, especially the part about the government agency promoting and helping to subsidize abortions. But, think about what is really being discussed. Hospitals, clinics, doctors, and everyone else who provides health care are basically being told that you either abort children or pay for someone else to do. And, there'll be a government agency that'll make sure you do that very thing.

This needs to be addressed before this bill gets passed. And we need to make sure our senators hear that message.