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A Few Thoughts on Cardinal
Justin F. Rigali’s Remarkable
“Respect Life Sunday” Statement
Part Two of Three
By Dave Andrusko
Cardinal Justin F. Rigali is
chairman of the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops. On September 29, he issued a
powerful statement in anticipation of "Respect
Life Sunday," this year celebrated on October 4.
As explained in an accompanying preface, "Begun
in 1972, the Respect Life Program stresses the
value and dignity of human life. It is observed
in the 195 Catholic dioceses in the United
States. This year's theme is 'Every Child Brings
Us God’s Smile.'” Part Two of TN&V for Friday
consists of a extracting a few of the many
observations along with a word or two of
commentary.
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Cardinal Justin F. Rigali
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To begin with, as Cardinal
Rigali wrote, "[D]espite the opposition of 67%
of Americans to taxpayer-funded abortion, all
current health care proposals being considered
by Congress would allow or mandate abortion
funding… It bears repeating: Abortion – the
direct, intentional killing of an unborn girl or
boy – is not health care."
You and I say, well, of course.
But that is not a position shared by the
Congressional leadership of the Democratic
Party. While they will pretend their proposals
are "compromises" that will "maintain the status
quo," they are the exact opposite, intended to
bring abortion to every hamlet in the land at
your expense. Second,
proposals to save money are on the backs of the
elderly. As Cardinal Rigali observes, "While
most Americans agree that those who cannot
afford health insurance should have access to
health care, some commentators have gone so far
as to suggest offsetting the cost of expanded
coverage by curtailing the level of care now
given to elderly Americans. Other pundits have
suggested that treatment decisions should be
based not on the needs of the elderly patient,
but on the patient’s allegedly low 'quality of
life' or the cost-effectiveness of treatment
calculated over the patient’s projected
lifespan. Such calculations can ignore the
inherent dignity of the person needing care, and
undermine the therapeutic relationship between
health professionals and their patients.
"It should not be surprising that
the neglect, and even the death, of some people
are offered as a solution to rising health care
costs. Population control advocates have long
espoused aborting children in the developing
world as a misguided means for reducing
poverty."
This is already playing itself
out. "Oregon, where health care for low-income
patients is rationed by the state, has denied
several patients the costly prescription drugs
needed to prolong their lives, while reminding
them that the assisted suicide option is
conveniently offered under Oregon’s health
plan," Cardinal Rigali writes.
Third, Cardinal Rigali offers
what he calls "The antidote to such myopia":"to
recover an appreciation for the sanctity and
dignity of each unique human being. One could
begin by spending a day with a young child. The
average child is a wellspring of joy and
giggles, capable of daring leaps of imagination,
probing curiosity, and even reasoned (though
sometimes self-centered) appeals for justice.
Children delight in God’s creation and love
their family unconditionally. God gave every
human being these marvelous aptitudes, and
children can help us recover and appreciate them
anew." Fourth, his
concluding paragraph ripples with compassion and
a reminder of our intergenerational
interdependence.
"Children, and those who are dependent on us due
to disability or age, offer us the opportunity
to grow in patience, kindness, and love. They
teach us that life is a shared gift, not an
encumbrance. At the end of life, we will be
judged on love alone. Meanwhile, in the midst of
so many challenges to life, we look to 'Christ
Jesus our hope' (1 Timothy 1:1), who offers to
all the world a share in his victory over
death."
Part Three
Part One |
