Blog
CMA Responds to Senate Finance Committee Votes
October 01, 2009
On September 30, 2009, the Senate Finance Committee voted down amendments excluding federal funding of abortion and prohibiting discrimination against any individual or entity who refuses to provide, pay for, or refer for abortions. The refusal of the Senate Finance Committee to guarantee the most rudimentary respect for the conscience rights of health-care professionals could be the harbinger of a brave new world in health care and American culture generally.
Unfortunately, this vote is hardly a surprise. Beginning in April when the Senate refused to make respect for rights of conscience a principle of health-care reform, there has been a series of political actions and votes that have demonstrated a determined refusal to recognize conscience rights in proposed health-care legislation.
Health-care financing and delivery in the United States is marked by extremes — great achievements and an abundance of clinical armamentaria, but also high costs, unpredictable access and lack of coordination in delivery. There is ample scope for debate about how to address the latter extremes and failings while protecting what works. In this debate, there is room for a wide range of perspectives on political, financial, regulatory and organizational options.
But there should be no question of violating a fundamental human and constitutional right such as freedom of conscience. There can be no justification for overturning conscience protections guaranteed by federal law for over 35 years precisely when proposing to grant the federal government unprecedented powers to dictate the financing and delivery of health care.
The American people should understand that there is more at stake in this debate than trillions of dollars and the unintended consequences of thousands of pages of regulation. At stake are fundamental issues of justice and principle that are central to the American system of constitutional governance, which has done so much to promote peace and prosperity for more than 200 years. At stake as well are fundamental values central to the nature and history of the profession of medicine and essential to protecting the physician-patient relationship. And thus, apart from any other debatable issues of economics or politics, the American people should question whether a governmental system of health-care financing and delivery marked by such deep flaws can long endure.
