Freedom of Philadelphia

So, hope and change has hit America. President Obama is bringing hope and change to whatever he can. First he crammed the stimulus bill down our throats. Sure for a minute it looked like it wasn’t going to make it but then 3 Republican (in name only) Senators blinked. Even then it looked like public opinion was working against it but a series of high profile speeches and tv appearances turned the tide and now our kids and grand kids will have to pay for it.

So the first part of the plan to change America is underway, the bankrupting of our future, but wait too many people might notice! What’s a good socialist to do then when faced with, what might be a generation of people staunchly against his plans. Well how about taking away their access to health care? Wait, what’s that you say? President Obama promised universal health care to all! We’d get benefits from an economy to scale, force hospitals and health care systems to service everyone. He promised us all that we’d have a system like Canada or one of those countries where everyone is covered! Snicker..well what he DIDN’T promise is that there would be a hospital for everyone.

Now Logan don’t be crazy, there’s lots of hospitals! What’s the President going to do that could risk hospital closings? So glad you asked! What he can do, is challenge the Catholic Church to a game of gigantic chicken over one of the holy grails of the democratic party. Abortion. Now before anyone gets twisted, I couldn’t give a rats anus over the abortion issue. You want to get scraped, get scraped. You don’t want to, then don’t.  If there’s a God you can deal with Her over it. If there is no God, then well no life regardless of when it happens is sacred. I tend to stay out of abortion debates except for the caveat that some more consideration needs to be given to a mans rights in it (another post, another time, another jack and coke perhaps)
However, when the fight over abortion is something that might affect MY access to health care, now I gotta pay attention. So let’s look at what’s going on shall we?  The AP posted this article tonight, here’s an excerpt.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama plans to repeal a Bush administration rule that has become a flash point in the debate over a doctor’s right not to participate in abortions. The regulation, instituted in the last days of the Bush administration, strengthened job protections for doctors and nurses who refuse to provide a medical service because of moral qualms.

A Health and Human Services official said Friday the administration will publish notice of its intentions early next week, opening a 30-day comment period for advocates on both sides, medical groups and the public

Wonder why that was released on a Friday night? Could it be that Friday night is the news graveyard and no one will notice it?  Nah, this is the most transparent government ever, President Obama says so. Of course, with any move by the government, some are happy with it, some are not. So the White House issued a release clarifying it all for us.

But the Obama administration was concerned that the Bush regulation went too far and could also be used to refuse birth control, family planning services and counseling for vaccines and transfusions.
The White House released a statement saying that Obama supports a “carefully crafted” conscience clause — not Bush’s version.
“He believes this issue requires a balance between the rights of providers and the health of women and their families, a balance that the last-minute Bush rule appears to upset,” the statement said.

There, all straight? Like any snake oil salesman they are trying to make their product sound good to everyone.

Now what’s this got to do with hospitals closing? Elementary my Dear Watson!  You see so much of what any government does is to try and balance itself on slippery slopes. This one is no exception. Where the rewriting of these rules slips into even more dangerous ground is what’s called the FOCA. Freedom of Choice Act, boy oh boy that sounds like a swell thing. We all should have the freedom of choices. See here’s the problem, if it forces doctors or health institutions morally opposed to performing abortions into doing them it’ll cause a showdown between the Catholic Church and the administration. Basically detractors of FOCA says it’s gives freedom of choice to everyone BUT doctors but people who support the plan say that those objectors are covered by current conscience laws.

So if President Obama rewrites those guidelines, then passes and signs FOCA (he’s gone on record as saying he’ll sign it, look it up) then what’s a doctor or health organization who is morally against abortion to do? Since our President is from Chicago, lets check in with the Auxillary Bishop of Chicago, Thomas Paprocki who says:

Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago spoke up about the threats to Catholic health care under the bill.

“It could mean discontinuing obstetrics in our hospitals, and we may need to consider taking the drastic step of closing our Catholic hospitals entirely,” Paprocki said. “It would not be sufficient to withdraw our sponsorship or to sell them to someone who would perform abortions. That would be a morally unacceptable cooperation in evil.”

“I do not think I’m being alarmist in considering such drastic steps,” he said. “We need to respond in a morally appropriate, responsible fashion.”

Hmm, ok so a few catholic hospitals shut down, don’t be such a chicken little Logan! Well, what do YOU consider a few hospitals? What if I told you that the Catholic church runs the 3rd LARGEST health care organization in America?

Catholic Health Care⁹

• Hospitals: 557 Catholic hospitals treated 83,795,186 patients
• Other Health Care Centers: 417 centers treated 7,271,716 patients
• Specialized Homes: 1,538 assisted 756,902 residents
• Residential Care of Children: 163 locations assisted 30,106 residents

And now you see where I was going with there being a lack of hospitals as the cost of this game of chicken! 557 hospitals (roughly 1 hospital for every one of Bidens gaffes in the last 9 months) could close. This wouldn’t be a situation where they close some hospitals and leave others open. It would be a Papal decision, give in or take a stand. If push comes to shove, who do you think would blink first?