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ZENIT,
The world seen from Rome
News
Agency
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US
Bishops Defend "Life Unworthy of Life" [Quotes provided as editorial
comment by GS.]
Note
Government Move to Mandate Abortion in Health Insurance
WASHINGTON,
D.C., SEPT. 27, 2011 (Zenit.org).- As the 40th Respect Life Month
begins this weekend, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' pro-life
committee says
the Church is defending those at risk of being dismissed as a life
unworthy of
life with Jesus' promise of life to the full.
Cardinal
Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Houston and chairman of the Committee on
Pro-Life Activities, affirmed this in a statement Monday on Respect
Life Month.
This
year's monthlong celebration comes on the heals of a U.S. government
decision to mandate artificial contraception and abortifacient drugs in
private
health care plans. The bishops have already called the faithful to
protest this
move before the deadline set by the Obama administration, which is
Friday.
Cardinal
DiNardo spoke against viewing life as a 'zero sum' game, in which
advancing one's interests requires putting aside the needs of others,
can lead
to callous unconcern for anyone who is especially weak, defenseless,
and in
need of our help. The unborn child, the aging parent who some call a
'burden'
on our medical system, the allegedly 'excess' embryo in the fertility
clinic,
the person with a disability, the cognitively impaired accident victim
who
needs assistance in receiving food and water to live -- each today is
at risk
of being dismissed as a 'life unworthy of life.'
Referring
to the theme for this year's Respect Life Month, he said that Jesus'
promise of 'life to the full' is especially poignant today, when our
culture
and sometimes our government promote values inimical to the happiness
and true
good of individuals and society.
Distortion
and disdain
The
cardinal addressed the government intention to include contraception
and
abortifacient drugs in health care plans as preventive care, a
classification
normally used for vaccinations and services such as cancer screening.
He
said that the move shows both a distorted view of sexuality and a
disdain
for the role of religion.
The
decision is wrong on many levels, the cardinal stated. Preventive
services
are aimed at preventing diseases (e.g., by vaccinations) or detecting
them
early to aid prompt treatment (e.g., screening for diabetes or cancer).
But
pregnancy is not a disease. It is the normal, healthy state by which
each of us
came into the world. (...) Mandating such coverage shows neither
respect for
women's health or freedom, nor respect for the consciences of those who
do not
want to take part in such problematic initiatives.
The
bishops' official urged Catholics not to shrink from the obligation to
assert the values and principles we hold essential to the common good,
beginning with the right to life of every human being and the right of
every
woman and man to express and live by his or her religious beliefs and
well-formed conscience.
During
this Respect Life Month, the cardinal concluded, as we celebrate God's
great gift of life, let us pray and reflect on how each of us might
renew our
commitment and witness to 'respecting, promoting and teaching the
transcendent
nature of the human person,' thereby shoring up the foundations of a
society
sorely in need of this guidance.