Today's evidence that the American health care system is broken, or at least badly damaged, is that one of every seven hospital beds in this country are in Catholic hospitals. Nothing against Catholic hospitals, and I assume the continual increase of their share of the hospital market is complex and assume they have provided myriad instances of care, but here's one simple fact: access to reproductive health services is reduced by policies prohibiting abortion.
Historians can provide the details and the personalities, but the failure of the nation to provide readily available health care for its citizens other than through private entities is a continuing problem. Right now, our already tight number of hospital beds is reduced by 14 percent when it comes to reproductive services around abortion.
As a former altar boy, I am quite familiar with a range of Catholic experiences and beliefs and (full disclosure) am not a supporter of the Catholic Church generally. I am among the many who are ashamed of the patriarchal, abusive practices of some church leaders. But I readily acknowledge the incredible acts of charity and selflessness than many believers have shared with people all over the world, and was even born in a Catholic hospital in Iowa City.
One would think that health care would not be connected with organized religion. There are no deep theological debates over treating lung cancer or mending a broken bone. There are best practices and that should be that.
In many ways, the very idea that a hospital would be considered a Catholic institution seems nuts. Imagine the idea carried to a (maybe?) silly conclusion: Methodist hospitals in two "flavors," one accepting LBGTQI+ patients and one that turns them away; Jewish hospitals in several flavors, from Orthodox to Reformed; Atheist hospitals for those opting out of organized religion, perhaps with a few wards for Agnostics ("are you sure you are even sick?").
I hope it's not anti-Catholic to point out that applying the hazy label of "Catholic" on a building that aims to heal the sick but to allow the imposition of certain restrictions about practices on which reasonable people disagree seems like a problem.
I would apply the same observation about the U.S. Supreme Court, where 7 of the 9 justices are Catholic (or Catholic-adjacent in the case of Gorsuch). The fact that all 6 right wing radicals on the court are of one basic religion should be quite concerning in a nation founded on the freedom FROM religion, as well as the freedom to practice religion.
Catholics are as likely to be fine people as any other group -- heck, I have many friends who claim to be practicing Catholics -- but how did we get to the point where a religious choice matters in the public arena?
There are plenty of Americans who don't really believe in the concept of democracy, unless only people from their religion or state or location or political party get to participate in the democracy. There is real irony in Southern Baptists loudly praising conservative Catholic jurists as long as they agree on abortion and the general subordination of women. But I continue to hope that there are more Americans who see the dangers of autocratic theocracy.
Once religions attain political power -- and between hospitals and the Supreme Court, that has clearly happened -- the oppression begins.
Organized religion generally, and Catholics specifically, need to take a step back and reexamine their reason to exist. Most people don't attend church services.
They may be on to something.
Author's Note: This is blog post #400, which is an artificial milestone, but a good reminder that daily writing eventually accumulates... though the sum total may not amount to much.
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