Representative Patrick Kennedy’s recent comments on the Catholic Church and healthcare have been accurately described by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin as “irresponsible and ignorant of the facts.” The ridiculous and inaccurate claims made by the Congressman misrepresent the Catholic Church’s position on healthcare.
In a very heated debate surrounding healthcare, Kennedy’s careless comments are unwelcomed and unhelpful. Kennedy is either incapable of understanding the Church’s position or has grossly misrepresented the position.
Bishop Tobin and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have sent letters to the Congressman explaining the Catholic Church’s clear and consistent position on healthcare reform. The Catholic Church’s position both supports comprehensive healthcare reform but opposes “health care legislation that threatens the life of unborn children, requires taxpayers to pay for abortion, rations health care, or compromises the conscience of individuals.” Kennedy has either not read the letters or failed to understand their very consistent and unambiguous position.
The Congressmen’s claim that the bishops are denying human dignity by opposing healthcare reform that funds the direct killing of innocent unborn through abortion are an embarrassment to Catholics and all Rhode Islanders. The Congressman has called upon the Church to support any version of healthcare reform "because it’s going to provide health care that is going to keep people alive." This comment is highly insulting, deeply offensive and largely based upon ignorance.
Kennedy is dead wrong in casting the Catholic Church as the villain in the healthcare reform debate. The real villain in the debate is those elected officials like Kennedy who are attempting to force taxpayers to fund abortion while calling it healthcare reform and those who fail to fully understand other points of view. The entirety of the Catholic Church’s social teaching is based upon the foundation of respecting the life and dignity of all human life. This is the origin of the bishops’ support of comprehensive healthcare reform. It is a basic catechism lesson that the Church believes that human beings are made in God’s image and likeness and therefore deserve respect and protection. It is routinely taught to Catholic children but apparently a lesson that Kennedy desperately needs to study.
Kennedy’s demagogic attacks upon Catholic Bishops and Catholics throughout the state are a clear sign of his ignorance of the facts. His irrational criticism and sheer intolerance of the Catholic Church’s position on healthcare is not only wrong but an embarrassment. Catholics and indeed all Rhode Islanders deserve better from elected officials. We join Bishop Tobin in calling Congressman Kennedy to publically apologize for his ignorant and embarrassing comments.
