Nearly 50 years ago, President Kennedy delivered his famous "Catholic" speech in which he stated, "Whatever issue may come before me as president—on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling, or any other subject—I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressure or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to decide otherwise."
These words still ring true today, and nowhere more so than in the current health-care debate. In recent months, much has been made over the question of the Roman Catholic faith, health care reform, and abortion.
The Roman Catholic Church and American Catholics have long believed that health care is a basic human right. The church has been a leader in the struggle to achieve quality, affordable coverage for all. They know that if the United States is ever going to climb out of its dismal standing as 30th in infant mortality in the world, women will need access to better prenatal care so that they can give birth to healthier babies. Yet as lofty ideas turn into actual policy details, the perennial question of how to deal with the issues of women's health—specifically abortion and federal funding—has come up. In solving this issue, perhaps we should heed the words of my uncle: what is in the national interest?
In this instance, the national interest is to pass meaningful health-care reform and not litigate abortion in the process. Too much is at stake to let differences over abortion derail real health reform.
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