What Would Jesus Do?

"I begin by sharing a few words from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most
shocking and inhumane."

"Sadly, it seems that not only have inequalities continued, they
appear to be growing worse.

"A colleague in another state asked his constituents the following question:
What does it mean for us, as members of Christ's body in the world, to
carry on Jesus' work of bringing hope and healing to all?

"As this question suggests, health care is very much an issue for the
faith community. As Protestant Christians-the constituency I represent-our
concerns are shaped by the biblical principles of stewardship and justice.

"It seems that our nation's economic and political institutions, by and large,
have not been good stewards of the resources that our society allocates
to health care. We fail to be good stewards of our nation's health care
resources when Americans spend two to three times as much per person as
other industrialized countries-and our overall health outcomes are worse!

"In addition, disparities in health care coverage raise serious questions
about the overall justice of our present system. All persons are precious
in the eyes of God. No person's well-being can be reduced to a price and
bought and sold without moral and ethical considerations. Persons are more
than "consumers" of the goods and services produced by the health care system:
all are entitled to care, respect, and compassion, regardless of their state
of health, their medical history, their personal circumstances, or their
ability to pay.

"As Christians, we believe that all creation is sacred, precious and worthy of
being safeguarded. We believe that we are called to pursue justice and to
practice love and compassion. We believe that we have a responsibility for
stewardship, especially for stewardship of those resources that protect the
well-being of human lives.

"Finally, we believe that we are called to action to advocate and work for the
well-being of poor and marginalized persons, as summed up by these words from
the prophet Isaiah: "to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan,
plead for the widow."

"Orphans and widows were considered the most vulnerable members of the society
of Isaiah's time-and at the time of Jesus. This includes advocating for
access to comprehensive and affordable health care for ALL persons, access
not based solely on wealth, population, or other arbitrary determinant.

"Health care coverage must be for everyone. The religious conscience will accept
nothing less.

"The Pennsylvania Council of Churches has chosen to support the only proposal that
addresses both of these concerns for Pennsylvania-the Family and Business Health
Security Act, which would provide for a publicly administered system that covers
all Pennsylvanians, but also maintains individual choice of comprehensive, privately
delivered health care.

"In closing, I want to remind all of you here that Jesus was a healer-and healing
was one of the most important aspects of Jesus' ministry. The gospels are replete
with stories of Jesus healing the sick, raising the dead, restoring sight to the
blind and hearing to the deaf, and making lame persons walk. He cared deeply for
the spiritual welfare of all as well. He empowered others "to proclaim the kingdom
of God and to heal" (Luke 9:2). He never refused to heal someone because they
could not pay, and obviously preexisting conditions were his specialty.

"It seems to me that Jesus would provide for the health and well-being of all persons.

"While I can't claim that Jesus would endorse this legislation, I suspect that
he would be happy to know that we are working, as he did, to provide health and
healing for everyone because I doubt that he would settle for anything less."

The Reverend Sandra L. Strauss