Tuesday, November 16, 2004
CULTURE & COSMOS
November 16, 2004 Volume 2, Number 15
Choice In Health Plan Condemned By "Pro-Choice" Leaders
Beginning this month some federal employees in Illinois have more
choices when deciding on a health care plan, and one of the world's
leading advocates for "choice" is unhappy about it.
OSF Health Care Systems, which is owned and operated by the Sisters
of the Third Order of St. Francis, now offers federal employees who live
or work in some 27 counties in Illinois the chance to enroll in a faith
based Catholic health plan that does not cover abortion, contraceptives,
sterilization or in vitro fertilization. The plan is part of President
George Bush's larger goal of ending the exclusion of faith-based
organizations from participating in government programs. Employees are
in no way obligated to participate in the OSF plan yet Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, the nation's largest abortion provider, is
opposed to it.
In an unsigned article on their website, Planned Parenthood
describes contraception as "basic health care" and says the Catholic health care
plan is "taking away (employees') right to choose." The article says
that offering more choices to federal employees "is a new move in the
administration's effort to shape federal programs to match its own
narrow anti-choice ideological agenda." In an Associated Press interview Gloria
Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood, expressed anger that faithful
Catholics will be allowed to belong to a health care plan that matches
with their beliefs. "It's inappropriate for federal dollars to subsidize
a plan that is blatantly designed to foster one religious point of view."
The OSF plan was actually one of 18 high deductible health plans
introduced by the Office of Personnel Management two months ago for
federal employees across the country. It was the only faith based plan
acording to James Ferrell, communications director for OSF. In fact OSF
was the only faith based organization to submit a proposal to the
federal government. Ferrell said response to the program will not be known until
the end of December because of the time required to process
applications. Ferrell said he has received calls expressing interest from across
Illinois including from residents of Chicago. But the plan is available
only to federal employees who work or live in one of the 27 counties
where OSF operates. Cook County is not among those counties meaning the plan
will not be available in Chicago, Illinois' largest metropolitan area.
Planned Parenthood was joined by the typical litany of "pro-choice"
groups in opposing the increase in health care options. Representatives
from "Catholics" for a Free Choice, Religious Coalition for Reproductive
Choice, and the Illinois chapter of American Civil Liberties Union all
have come out against the plan. CFFC president Frances Kissling refers
to the Catholic-compatible plan as "substandard medical care." Ferrell
said his organization has a simple response to the organizations that speak
out against faith based health care. "They aren't really pro-choice."
Copyright, 2004 --- Culture of Life Foundation. Permission granted for
unlimited use. Credit required.
Culture of Life Foundation
1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
Phone: (202) 289-2500
Fax: (202) 289-2502
E-mail: clf@culture-of-life.org
Website: http://www.culture-of-life.org
Get this one. If you don't want your health care dollars to pay for services that you think are equivlent to murder, you're bad, because you're not making someone else pay for something that you won't use, and furthermore your choice is bad because it's not Planned Parenthood's choice.
I could respond. But who cares. PP's position is so, dare I say, dumb, that I won't. How can making a choice be against choice?
November 16, 2004 Volume 2, Number 15
Choice In Health Plan Condemned By "Pro-Choice" Leaders
Beginning this month some federal employees in Illinois have more
choices when deciding on a health care plan, and one of the world's
leading advocates for "choice" is unhappy about it.
OSF Health Care Systems, which is owned and operated by the Sisters
of the Third Order of St. Francis, now offers federal employees who live
or work in some 27 counties in Illinois the chance to enroll in a faith
based Catholic health plan that does not cover abortion, contraceptives,
sterilization or in vitro fertilization. The plan is part of President
George Bush's larger goal of ending the exclusion of faith-based
organizations from participating in government programs. Employees are
in no way obligated to participate in the OSF plan yet Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, the nation's largest abortion provider, is
opposed to it.
In an unsigned article on their website, Planned Parenthood
describes contraception as "basic health care" and says the Catholic health care
plan is "taking away (employees') right to choose." The article says
that offering more choices to federal employees "is a new move in the
administration's effort to shape federal programs to match its own
narrow anti-choice ideological agenda." In an Associated Press interview Gloria
Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood, expressed anger that faithful
Catholics will be allowed to belong to a health care plan that matches
with their beliefs. "It's inappropriate for federal dollars to subsidize
a plan that is blatantly designed to foster one religious point of view."
The OSF plan was actually one of 18 high deductible health plans
introduced by the Office of Personnel Management two months ago for
federal employees across the country. It was the only faith based plan
acording to James Ferrell, communications director for OSF. In fact OSF
was the only faith based organization to submit a proposal to the
federal government. Ferrell said response to the program will not be known until
the end of December because of the time required to process
applications. Ferrell said he has received calls expressing interest from across
Illinois including from residents of Chicago. But the plan is available
only to federal employees who work or live in one of the 27 counties
where OSF operates. Cook County is not among those counties meaning the plan
will not be available in Chicago, Illinois' largest metropolitan area.
Planned Parenthood was joined by the typical litany of "pro-choice"
groups in opposing the increase in health care options. Representatives
from "Catholics" for a Free Choice, Religious Coalition for Reproductive
Choice, and the Illinois chapter of American Civil Liberties Union all
have come out against the plan. CFFC president Frances Kissling refers
to the Catholic-compatible plan as "substandard medical care." Ferrell
said his organization has a simple response to the organizations that speak
out against faith based health care. "They aren't really pro-choice."
Copyright, 2004 --- Culture of Life Foundation. Permission granted for
unlimited use. Credit required.
Culture of Life Foundation
1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
Phone: (202) 289-2500
Fax: (202) 289-2502
E-mail: clf@culture-of-life.org
Website: http://www.culture-of-life.org
Get this one. If you don't want your health care dollars to pay for services that you think are equivlent to murder, you're bad, because you're not making someone else pay for something that you won't use, and furthermore your choice is bad because it's not Planned Parenthood's choice.
I could respond. But who cares. PP's position is so, dare I say, dumb, that I won't. How can making a choice be against choice?
