Sister Carol Keehan sells out.

 

 

 

The article below fails to mention that Carol Keehan is "Sister" Carol Keehan of the Daughters of Charity!

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Catholic hospitals support health care bill

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR (AP) – 13MAR2010

WASHINGTON — A group representing Catholic hospitals Saturday rallied behind President Barack Obama's health care bill ahead of a House vote in which anti-abortion lawmakers could play a decisive role.

The chief executive of the Catholic Health Association, Carol Keehan, wrote on the group's Web site that although the legislation isn't perfect, it represents a "major first step" toward covering all Americans and would make "great improvements" for millions of people. The more than 600 Catholic hospitals across the country do not provide abortions as a matter of conscience.

The association's support widens a split among abortion foes on whether the bill goes far enough to prevent taxpayer funding for the procedure. House Democratic leaders are trying to turn that debate to their advantage as they press for a vote on Obama's bill as early as this coming week. Winning over even a handful of anti-abortion Democrats could help Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., find a clear path to the 216 votes she needs for passage.

Major anti-abortion groups, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Right to Life Committee, are adamantly opposed to the legislation, preferring stricter restrictions passed last November by the House.

Keehan said in an interview that she believes the approach now in the bill would work just as well to keep federal dollars from being used to pay for abortion.

"On the moral issue of abortion, there is no disagreement," Keehan said. "On the technical issue of whether this bill prevents federal funding of abortions, we differ with Right to Life."

The current legislation would allow private insurance plans operating in a new insurance marketplace to cover abortions, provided they do not use taxpayer funds. What makes that tricky is that many of the plans' customers would be receiving federal subsidies to help pay their premiums. So the legislation requires plans offering abortion coverage to collect a separate premium from their policyholders. Those separate checks would have to be kept in a different account from money for other health care services.

The abortion provisions Obama's bill are identical to those in the Senate legislation that passed on Christmas Eve. But the bishops and National Right to Life prefer the approach in the House bill.

The House bill prohibited any plans receiving federal subsidies from covering abortion. Women desiring insurance coverage for the procedure would have to buy a separate policy.

Federal law since the 1970s has forbidden the use of taxpayer funds to cover abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. But many private insurance plans cover abortion as a legal medical procedure. How to deal with the divisive issue in health care overhaul was a source of controversy from the beginning.

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for National Right to Life, dismisses the segregation of funds called for in the Senate bill as a bookkeeping trick. His group has served notice it will count any vote for the House bill as support for taxpayer-funded abortion. The bishops reiterated their opposition in a letter to Congress on Friday.

"No Catholic hospital executive has ever turned out hundreds of volunteers to man the phone banks or walk the precincts for an endangered congressman or his challenger," Johnson said in response to the hospital group's announcement.

Keehan said she'll have to agree to disagree.

"We are trying to respect other people's conscience and views," she said. "But we also weigh in with our conscience and views. We think this bill is a good first step to health care reform."

On the Net:

Catholic Health Association: http://tinyurl.com/yzsfhv5
National Right to Life Committee: http://www.nrlc.org/
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/
______________________

"Sister" Carol is paid a salary of $856,093 by the Catholic Health Association which she reportedly gives back to her order.

The "Catholic" Health Association now has as its official stand that while its own members will not perform abortions in their "Catholic" hospitals, they will support a national health insurance scheme that will fund abortions at other hospitals!

Comments

[impotenta]

hey... what with that force-shirt :??

[James]

I hope the sister took pride in the shout-out she got from Nancy Pelosi's podium this morning. Nancy spent 2 seconds praising some non-mentioned religious group before heaping praise for almost a minute on the religious group mentioned above and on the religious order who educated her as a girl. I'm sure they're gushing with pride.

Isn't it interesting how some politicians seem to take particular satisfaction/glee in the disunity of Catholics? And they seem to relish jamming it in our faces.

I have to believe it comes from some deep place in their soul that in doing this they are somehow vindicated.

[Dorothy Conley]

I am a Roman Catholic mother of seven and a former Nursing Instructor. My RN diploma was granted by a Catholic hospital in 1947, and I later received a B.S. from a public university. All my early education took place in Catholic elementary and high schools. Therefore I am familiar with several orders of Nuns and admire them immensely.

I applaud Sister Carol Keehan for her endorsement of the bill on Health Insurance reform. She is correct in her assessment that it will help millions of Americans. This bill will not repeal the Hyde Amendment's ban on public funding of abortions.

I intend no disrespect for the U.S Bishops, many of whom I admire, when I state my firm belief that the least credible voice on the issue of abortion is that of a celibate male.

[Jessica]

Hurray to the Nuns who are stepping out in support of this bill! Thank You! These are the women on the frontlines of caring for the poor, the sick. Maybe if people could get better healthcare and better education about their health, they could avoid being in the position to have to consider abortion in the first place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[James M. Essig]

I think that part of the reason why the culture of death has entered the U.S. legal system is because of promissive use of artificial contraception.

I know many catholics who attend Mass and Holy Communion who have in the past relied on artificial contraception including many Catholics who have left the pews almost seemingly as a result of disobedience from the Church regarding matters of artificial contraception, pre-maritial sex, cohabitation, and the like.

For those of you who are married and who use artificial contraception, or who are engaging in sex outside of marraige, or heterosexual cohabitation, be aware that you can, by your procreative powers, conceive children. Each time a conception occurs, God creates a spiritual, immortal, directly and immeadiately created soul, which is united to a human body, albeit in embryonic form.

Think of it. When you conceive, you unalterably increase the size of the spiritual cosmos by irrevocably increasing the number of spiritual beings, i.e., via causing the creation of a human soul by GOD at conception.

Think of it. You permanenly increase the size of the spiritual cosmos and the set of spiritual beings.

Here in the Diocese of Arlington Virginia, within the U.S., much focus is on increasing vocations to the Priesthood for the diocese which is good. But many Catholic single and never married men and womem seem to distain the married life, while choosing to have pre-marital sex, cohabitate, and in some cases, practice active homosexual life-styles. Perhaps we need to re-emphasis the Catholic Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

Long after the last Sacred Host is consecrated, long after the last confession is heard, long after the last Mass is said, the children you procreate, Body And Soul, united incorruptably, in the post Ressurection Era, will exist, and exist forever, irrevocably.

I am a middle age single man who has definately chosen the single life, however, I do not view my purely and solely heterosexuality with distain. When single men, clargymen, and religious, view human sexuality as something to be mortified out of existence or stamped into non-existence based on goofy ascetic spiritualistic paradigms, we send those who are naturally ordered in temperament to the married life or to the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, a message that that sexuality and holiness cannot coexist, and that romance and the married life are not conducive to personal moral sanctity. This is a grave mistake. Married persons are also called to be Saints. The greatest creature of all by grace, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of GOD, was married as was the great Saint of Saint Joseph, Her husband.

I have often been viewed as a right wing red neck because of my views that free, willfull, and knowing, cohabitation, premarital sex, adultery, artificial contraception, arousing viewing of pornography, abortion, homosexual acts, etc., are mortally sinfull.

I have often been viewed as a cavemam because of my purely and soley heterosexuality. I must admit that I simply cannot relate to the claims of social scientists that peoples' sexual identity lies somewhere between pure masculinity and pure femininity and that most people are somewhere between having a pure and soley heterosexual sexuality and a pure and soley homosexuality. Perhaps I am one of the purely and soley heterosexual nearly 500 pound steers who states the truth regarding sexual morality while at the same time having never indulged in pre-marital sex, homosexual acts of any kind, and who has never indulged in petting or necking. No do not get me wrong, I have been to confession many many times to confess purely heterosexual impure thoughts and so I have struggled with issues of impurity, but I have always come around to the Sacrament of Penance for reconcilliation.

This is not meant to be a brag session, but rather it is a response to the effeminant metrosexual culture that wrongly views committed marraige and large families as something for the lower economic classes instead of something for professional white collar men and women.

[Don in ATL]

Per a conversation I had w/Planned Parenthood this afternoon, and per their web site, they support this so-called "no-abortion bill." Enough said.

[gregp]

As a cardiac care patient and Catholic, I am truly disgusted with these nuns. They need to wither shut up or get out. I am so tired of the dissent.

I don't want the Federal Gov't dictating to me what kind of health iinsurance or healthcare I will have.

We have the greatest healthcare system in the world. Does it need fixed yes. Do we need a massive gov't takeover? HELL NO!

[Bridgit]

I am flabergasted. Is this for real? This Sister Carol Keehan should be stripped of her position. I would never donate money to an organization with someone like her at the helm. She should not even be allowed to call herself "Catholic", maybe Acorn has a position for her. In my book, she is a JUDAS!!!! Shame, shame, shame...........

[Robert Leonard]

Some folks call themselves Roman Catholics and
then make their own rules for being one. Please
turn on the ETWN channel and see what being a Catholic is all about. Pray the Holy Rosary and remember that God created you and Christ
died for you.

[article 1 section 8]

Why do some orders of nuns feel they can liberate themselves from wearing their Habit? I will never address a sister that does not wear her Habit. They have taken a vow to be a soldier for Christ against the evil one. It's difficult to tell who the enemy is on the battlefield when no uniform is donned. Obviously, in this case, the enemy is standing at the podium. So many captured and lost souls
War for souls,
Pray!
I'm Out

[Joe]

I think the contrast between the normal, measured comments here in support of the Health Care Bill and the spittle-hurling, unhinged, edge-of-sanity comments of those against it speaks volumes.

[Michael]

The "Sisters" of Scandal speak with such arrogance

[Michael]

Hey, "Sister" you guys are responsible for a large majority the bad Catechesis in our church, and now the basic frame work of Socialism, bravo?

another win for intrinsic evil
(sarcasm dully intended).

[Michael J.]

Beware of nuns shunning their habits. What a disgrace and cause for scandal! To add to the ignominy,Sister Carol actually received a signing pen. She has played right into the hands of these secular leftists. The CINOs who advocated obama-care more than likely voted for this president who has turned out to be the most pro-abortion president in history. St. Thomas More, who stood up to the king and rejected the urgings of friends to abandon his principles, must be rolling in his grave to see so many Catholics give in to the allurements of this evil. Shame on these nuns, shame on the so-called Catholic Members of Congress who voted for this "abortion of a bill" and shame on the leftist CINOs who scoff at our bishops and make up the rules as the go along to suit themselves and their own misguided agendas. Disgraceful!

[nancy]

Sister Keehan should be ashamed of herself !
I guess it is all about her !

[Nick]

Sister Keehan is just another kool-aid drinking useful idiot. She's a CHINO...Catholic In Name Only.....and a rather stupid one at that.

[paul]

Abortion is not the only issue, you ignorant, self righteous people. Have you heard about the consistent ethic of life?? Human life from the unborn til natural death is all equally sacred and should be protected by law . This bill will do so much for the poor and sick in our country. Stop getting your "news" and "facts" from Fox news. I also recommend reading the gospels again, if you haven't already, Jesus wasn't just concerned about the unborn. I hope and pray you all can have a conversion to the compassionate, inclusive, and nonviolent Jesus.

Peace,

Paul

[amy]

Disgusting!!
Get Sister Carol out of there! She should be exhiled for this! Sick sick sick sister. Where are the Holy nuns? We need holy Nuns, not nuns who are possessed by the devil and looking to be femi-nazis!

[MuZimbo044]

Mother Angelica once said that people find fault with others on the very same weaknesses they also have. This makes a lot of people hypocritical. To all Catholics hurling insults here, do you mean to tell me that you are all holy and are living a sacramental life; if Our Lord Jesus Christ were to suddenly come today would He find you (yes you) as the pillar of faith and morals? Part of St Francis' prayer was 'where there is discord help me to sow peace ...', how do these comments increase our push to holiness or instead of praying for each other we are vilifying each other.
See, it is not a normal earthly race to Heaven but rather a friendly process of genuinely inviting all and encouraging all to come and experience God's love. This means instead of attacking and calling her names, why don't we kneel and pray for her. The Blessed Virgin has proved very effective in converting and bringing people to the love of God. Remember the evil one targets all the people consecrated to the service of God (strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter), lets pray then for the shepherds so they can be protected by the owner of the herd.

[MC5555]

To MuZimbo044: Mother Angelica was never one to back down from her core beliefs and did not withold her opinion when deemed necessary. She did express her opinion in a different sort of way though. For example, she mentions that all life is sacred and dear to God. The unborn are still just as important to the Lord and should be protected by all Catholics and Christians alike. There are changes that could have been made to this Bill that were not and it is unfortunate that we are already seeing the reprecussions of this healthcare reform.