‘Religious Left’ tackles health care reform

While the religious right is attacking health care reform, the religious left is rallying behind the health care package being debated in Congress and decrying the tactics used by the plan’s rightwing opponents. A new coalition is promising “40 Days of Health Reform” — and it’ll hit Minneapolis in the next few weeks.

The campaign was launched to show the spiritual need for health reform, not to support any one specific set of policies. And it’s seen some immediate success as President Obama will join coalition members on a conference call later this week.

“This isn’t a political issue, it is a deeply theological issue, a biblical issue, and a moral issue,” said Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners magazine in a conference call last week. “So we are not going to at any time during the debate weigh in on the particulars of policy questions…[We’ll] leave the plumbing to the politicians.”

But the coalition is also attacking the rightwing tactics and misinformation that have plagued the debate. “Shouting people down … is not the American way,” said Katie Paris, communications director of Faith in Public Life, said during the call. “We won’t let this issue get hijacked. We want to put real people back into the center of the discussions.”

Wallis didn’t mince words in a recent editorial in his publication. “The ‘storm troopers’ of political demagoguery, such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, have mobilized their followers to disrupt town meetings and defeat comprehensive reform by yelling louder than anybody else,” he wrote. “The campaign tactics include lies, intimidation, character assassination, verbal abuse, and even mob behavior against members of Congress trying to conduct town hall meetings on the issues.”

The 40 Days campaign released a video with pastors speaking up about health care reform and the coalition has bought up ad time nationwide.

The campaign will visit Minneapolis. “It’ll be a candelight vigil at the national Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Minneapolis,” said Kristin Williams of the group Faith in Public Life. She said details aren’t completely hammered out yet.

The ELCA itself has entered the fray, urging its members to counter the misinformation campaign against health care reform. In a recent email action alert to members, the ELCA said, “There is a great deal of misinformation circulating, so it is more critical than ever for you to educate yourself on the issue and make your voice heard!”

The church itself has reached a consensus on the issue of health care and have signed on as a member of the 40 Days campaign. The church states: “we of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have an enduring commitment to work for and support health care for all people as a shared endeavor.” At minimum, that means “each person should have ready access to basic health care services that include preventive, acute, and chronic physical and mental health care at an affordable cost.”

Unlike the religious right opposition to health care reform, the 40 Days coalition is a multi-faith effort. The Islamic Medical Association of North America, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Islamic Society of North America, Jewish Women International and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs have all gotten involved. Joining them are some of America’s largest Christian denominations: The Episcopal Church, the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., United Methodist Church, the Unitarian Universalist Association, African Methodist Episcopal Church, the National Council of Churches in Christ, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Church of Christ.

Some Catholic groups are also on board: NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Catholics United, and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.

For Catholics and many other people of faith, the issue of abortion is an important one, but the coalition is refusing to let it be a stumbling block.

“The key thing is we don’t want abortion to enter this debate and sabotage health-care reform,” said Wallis on the conference call. “Neither side should try to win political gains on abortion during the health-care debate.”

While none are planned for Minnesota yet, the coalition’s prayer vigils have been held in more than 100 congressional districts, both Republican and Democratic.

Wallis says it’s important to have a real debate on health care reform. “Left-right shouting matches and confrontational tactics will not create the civil discourse we need, and could finally sabotage need health-care reform.”