USA: Thousands of nuns lobby senate to reject Trump's healthcare cuts

Yesterday, 7,150 Catholic Sisters from all 50 states in the USA and Washington, DC sent a letter to the US Senate asking them to reject the Better Care Reconciliation Act, and any upcoming proposals that would repeal the Affordable Care Act or cut Medicaid. Their message: “We, 7,150 Catholic Sisters in the United States, write to urge you to cast a life-affirming ‘no’ vote against the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA)… The BCRA would be the most harmful legislation for American families in our lifetimes, and it goes against our Catholic faith teaching.”

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and leader of Nuns on the Bus, who wrote the letter, said: “The mission of Catholic Sisters has always been to serve our nation’s most vulnerable people. As such, we are united in opposition to the current Republican healthcare proposals.”

The letter states: “As Catholic women religious, we have witnessed firsthand the moral crisis of lack of quality, affordable healthcare in this country. We have seen early and avoidable deaths because of lack of insurance, prohibitive costs, and lack of access to quality care. We fought for the expansion of coverage in the Affordable Care Act because we saw the life-giving value of crucial healthcare programs such as Medicaid. This program covers over 70 million Americans, including children, pregnant women (and nearly half of all births in this country), people with disabilities, people struggling to get by, and senior citizens. Further, some of our fellow women religious rely on Medicaid in nursing homes when we can no longer care for our sisters at home.”

While the letter focuses on the Senate’s original proposal, it includes a preamble criticizing the last-minute desperate attempts to pass a poorly-crafted, unpopular bill that puts politics over the nation’s health. “Since this letter was circulated, Senate leadership has repeatedly changed course – from the BCRA, to a repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement, to amendments of bills from 2015. This is not good governance… Rather than continuing to negotiate partisan legislation that would cause tens of millions of Americans to lose access to health coverage, Congress should seek bipartisan solutions to expand quality, affordable coverage.”

Sister Simone concluded: “As Catholic Sisters, we stand by our belief that health is a universal right and urge Senators to vote no on the motion to proceed for any bill that would repeal the ACA and cut Medicaid.”

Catholic Sisters sent a similar letter in 2010, calling on the House of Representatives to cast a “life-affirming YES vote” on the Affordable Care Act. It was widely attributed as crucial to the final passage of the ACA.

Sr Mary Pellegrino, CSJ, President of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Silver Spring, MD said: “As women of faith, we take seriously the gospel call to care for those in need. We are committed to a faith-filled vision of healthcare that guarantees health and dignity to all regardless of their station or circumstance. Catholic sisters have been serving and healing the people of the United States for almost 300 years. We continue to minister in hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics across this country. That includes advocating for those whose life and dignity are threatened by the proposed Senate legislation. We urge Senators to reject this bill and seek a bipartisan solution that will guarantee the right to healthcare for all. “

Sr Carol Keehan, DC, President/CEO of Catholic Health Association, Washington, DC said: “After careful study, CHA is convinced that both the Senate and House bill would have incredibly negative consequences. Neither bill is worthy of the American people and should be opposed. We applaud Legislators both Republican and Democratic, who have called for a bipartisan effort to get a bill that truly helps this country have available, accessible and affordable health care for all. We hope that Congress can now turn a page and open a new chapter. This country needs and deserves a healthcare bill that truly delivers quality and affordable healthcare to all Americans. There is the competence and resources to do this if we work together. Health is too critical to be allowed to be a partisan issue. CHA stands ready to work with all members of Congress to achieve this.”

Sr Gemma Doll, OP, Cincinnati, OH said: “Pope Francis has explained, ‘healthcare is not a consumer good but a universal right, so access to health services cannot be a privilege.’ The current healthcare bill is immoral and further marginalizes the most vulnerable within our communities. As women of faith, we know healthcare is critical in keeping our communities healthy and our neighborhoods safe, and the most recent healthcare bill disregards the common good and instead provides tax cuts to the wealthy while stripping Medicaid from individuals who need it the most. We continue to urge Senators to listen to their constituents, to work for the common good, and to vote NO.”

Sr Carren Herring, RSM, Cincinnati, OH said: “As a person of faith, a Sister of Mercy, I speak out against the Senate’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and revoke health coverage from more than 20 million Americans. Senators, this is a moral issue. In a country that enjoys a high standard of living, it is wrong to deny access to life-saving medical care to our people. Our sacred texts clearly state ‘what you do to the least of my people, you do to me.’ Taking health insurance away from millions of people and giving tax breaks to those who can afford their taxes is shameful, punitive, and just plain wrong.”

Sr Christine Riley, CSJ, Wheeling, WV commented: “As a Catholic Sister who lives in Wheeling, WV, I urge the Senate to vote NO on any effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act that denies families of their basic human right to quality, accessible, affordable health care. Many families in West Virginia and throughout our country bear heavy burdens living in poverty, and they depend on Medicaid to meet their basic health needs. We are all called to protect the life and dignity of every person, especially the most vulnerable – they are our sisters and brothers in need. I trust and pray that our Senators will continue to have the courage, integrity, and justice rooted in compassion to work together toward improvement of our healthcare system for the common good.”

Sr Kathleen Durkin, CSJ, from Wheeling, WV said: “As a Sister who has lived and ministered in rural and urban West Virginia for over 50 years, I strongly urge our Senators to oppose any effort to proceed with a bill that will repeal the Affordable Care Act. Depriving healthcare to millions and cutting Medicaid for the most vulnerable in our society is unconscionable. Our faith commits us to care for all of our sisters and brothers, and the Affordable Care Act gives expression to this commitment.”

Sr Janet Kinney, CSJ, Executive Director of Providence House, New York, NY added: “As executive director of Providence House, which provides housing and services for women and children who are in the lowest socioeconomic bracket, I witness firsthand the effect Medicaid has as a lifeline providing essential healthcare and services needed for those whose lives depend on it. The radical cuts to Medicaid proposed by the Senate bill are unconscionable. The BCRA favors the wealthiest Americans and will reduce healthcare benefits of poorer families. This is not only unjust, but shows a lack of care and regard for those who need our care the most.”

Sr Geraldine Nowak, OSF, Toledo, OH commented: “I am concerned that the current proposed healthcare bill will leave many people behind with no opportunity for healthcare services. I’ve heard the stories of older and younger people who would feel the impact. It is heart-wrenching! It is mind blowing! I am also concerned that current proposals would have a very negative domino effect on hospitals and subsequently the people they serve here in Ohio. This bill will lead to very immoral outcomes. This simply cannot happen in America where so many people at the grassroots level are working for the common good.”

Sr Francine Schwarzenburger, OP, New Orleans, LA said: “As a Sister who lives in New Orleans, I encounter the poor and vulnerable, the elderly and people with disabilities, every day. Taking away their access to quality, affordable healthcare would be immoral. Everyone has a right to the healthcare needed for a life of dignity. Our Senators must remember that.”

NETWORK – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a 45-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org

Read the full text of the letter, and see all 100 pages of signatures from the 7,150 Catholic Sisters online at:

https://networklobby.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2017-Sisters-Healthcare-Letter-with-signers.pdf