Washington, D.C. (04 August 2009) – Catholics United, an organization known for promoting legislation that violates Catholic teaching and supporting dissident Catholic politicians, has joined three lay-run supposedly Catholic nonprofit groups that are supporting the Obama health care proposal.
“The same talking points used by Obama health care plan proponents are being circulated by these groups,” Judie Brown, president of American Life League, pointed out. “Once again, organizations masquerading as Catholic are politicizing our faith and distorting the qualities of Catholic social justice.”
“By failing to protect the poorest of the poor from rationed charity, abortion and government-mandated ‘counselors’ for the aged and infirm, these organizations’ leaders are attacking the core principles of public charity,” stated Brown. “As these organizations abandon authentic Catholic social teaching, their faithful Catholic members are growing weary of their equivocations, explanations and excuses. It is an embarrassment for Catholics nationwide to see such organizations hijacked by out-of-touch leadership that marches in lockstep with the Obama administration’s tune.”
Last week, a storm of controversy erupted around the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities USA and the Catholic Health Association’s “health care reform now” campaign, which included action alerts and a promotional video featuring President Obama rallying Congress to pass legislation that includes provisions for tax-subsidized abortion.
The groups’ jointly issued action alert declared, “We must maintain momentum for health care reform efforts with calls and emails supporting health care reform immediately.” The alert continues, “The groups that do not support health reform have been blanketing House members in opposition to any reform. Your members of Congress need to hear from you that you support health care reform, and that the system needs to be reformed now.”
After American Life League broke the story, the Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities, lashed out at groups critical of his organization: “These attacks appear to be politically motivated by opponents of health care reform. They are distortions of the truth and disingenuous.”
Meanwhile, Catholics United attacked the Family Research Council for its ad denouncing the Obama plan. “The Family Research Council's continued effort to distort the facts leads one to wonder whether the group's true intent is to derail health care reform," said Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United. “If the Family Research Council was truly committed to human life it would focus its efforts on ensuring that the tens of millions of Americans who currently lack [health] insurance can get the care they need.”
However, Brown made the following response:
“These so-called Catholic organizations are so fixated on universal health coverage that they’re willing to throw human rights, dignity and lives under the bus. As if reading from the same handbook, they are throwing up straw-man arguments. If we are going to reform the health care system, we want authentic reform that respects human dignity and personhood, reform rooted in true justice, reform that upholds and defends every human being’s life.”
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
- Catholics United: Catholics United Welcomes Effort to Find Common Ground on Abortion in Health Care Reform Proposal (03 August 2009) http://www.catholics-united.org/?q=blog/1
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Let Congress know that Health Care Reform Can't Wait! http://www.stvincentdepaul.net/pdf/Let Congress know that Health Care Reform Can.pdf
- Catholic Charities: Catholic Charities USA responds to inaccurate media reports (31 July 2009) http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1796