More on Catholic Healthcare Association's Support for Abortion-Funding Bill

From yesterday's New York Times:

"WASHINGTON — In an apparent split with Roman Catholic bishops over the abortion-financing provisions of the proposed health care overhaul, the nation’s Catholic hospitals have signaled that they back the Senate’s compromise on the issue, raising hopes of breaking an impasse in Congress and stirring controversy within the church.

There is nothing "apparent" about it. The bishops have called the abortion-funding bill "morally unnacceptable."

According to the Times, the CHA was joined by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, currently being investigated by the Vatican.

What's the impact? The Times continues:

"...in practical political terms, some Democrats — including some opponents of abortion rights — say that the Catholic hospitals’ relative openness to a compromise could play a pivotal role by providing political cover for Democrats who oppose abortion to support the health bill. Democrats and liberal groups quickly disseminated the association’s endorsement along with others from the nuns’ group, other Catholics and evangelicals."

and

"Abortion rights supporters said the signs of openness from Catholic groups were helping some Democratic abortion foes accept the Senate compromise."

“We have known for quite some time (so have we) that the Catholic hospitals and also the nuns are really breaking from these hard-line bishops and saying, ‘This really is our goal: to get more people into health care coverage,’ ” said Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado.

That is: they are willing to tolerate publically-funded abortion if that's what it takes to get the uninsured insurance.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney