Word: reformer
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Given the fact that the meeting took place when debate over health reform was already in full swing, it's likely that the two sides were simply hearing what they wanted to hear. Whatever the case, they have certainly been talking past each other ever since. Obama added abortion funding to the list of "myths" like death panels that he dismissed in his public appearances. When he said in his address to the joint session of Congress in September that "under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions," the President was referring to direct funding...
...fact that disputes over abortion coverage remain an obstacle at this point in the process - more than two dozen pro-life House Democrats have also vowed to vote against reform legislation because of it - might suggest that the White House dropped the ball. But while Obama's outreach to the USCCB has left much to be desired, the bishops deserve a fair share of the blame for the continuing stalemate. If anything, their inconsistent approach to the issue created confusion that has hampered Democratic attempts to accommodate their concerns...
...late July, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, who at the time was heading the USCCB's pro-life committee, sent a letter to members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that appeared to signal that there was room to accommodate Catholic concerns. The USCCB, Rigali wrote, wanted health reform to continue the policy of preventing "direct federal funding of abortion." The language was important because it seemed to match an amendment drafted by Representative Lois Capps, a Democrat in California, to address pro-life concerns. Under the Capps amendment, which the Committee approved, no federal dollars could directly fund...
...Democrats who helped negotiate the Capps compromise, according to one person who was involved, felt confident it would "help clear the way for the bishops to support" the House health-reform bill. But just a few weeks after Rigali's initial letter, the Cardinal on Aug. 11 sent a second letter to members of Congress that raised a new concern: "Funds paid into these plans are fungible, and federal-taxpayer funds will subsidize the operating budget and provider networks that expand access to abortion...
Democrats may still find a way to address the USCCB's concerns in health reform - and they're negotiating separately with the pro-life Democrats who will be needed to pass health-reform legislation. But some feel burned by earlier attempts at negotiation and are ready to forget about courting the bishops' support. They point out that the Catholic Health Association, which represents more than 1,200 Catholic health systems and facilities, has been more encouraging of Democratic proposals (although the CHA has yet to endorsed any bill). Obama recently appointed CHA's president and CEO, Sister Carol Keehan...