Throughout the course of human history, there are times when a nation and its people must speak to moral imperatives -- to speak clearly to what is faithful to our American ideals, what is compassionate toward our people, and what is right for our country. As spiritual leaders of diverse religious background and with one voice, we the undersigned appeal to our Senators, our Congressmen, our President, and the State of Indiana to provide affordable and accessible health care for all Americans.
In our infancy as a nation we experienced the heavy hand of an oppressive government and the struggle for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The founding fathers and mothers of our young nation probably didn't imagine accessible health care as a right in the way we may perceive health care as a right today, but they did advocate for life as a right of all Americans. The dictionary defines life "... as the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally." The use of phrases such as "growth through metabolism", "growth through reproduction" and "adaption through changes originating internally" are words and phrases that are associated with accessible health care for all.
In addition to our struggle for life, our founding mothers and fathers also perceived that the citizens of this new nation would have the freedom and the right to pursue some level or form of happiness. Not unrelated to our happiness is affordable health care. Among the dreams of the generations is that our children will be happy and healthy. In part, we have associated the pursuit of happiness with healthy children. In order for our children to be healthy and happy for generations not yet born, we have a moral responsibility to provide affordable and accessible health care for all. As spiritual leaders we believe that affordable and accessible health care is faithful to our American ideals.
As spiritual leaders we are convicted by our various traditions to be people of compassion. Compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering of the other. Although our various traditions differ in our rules, our doctrines, or our forms of spiritual discipline, we remain united in compassion for God's people. In some form or another each of our traditions honor, the Golden Rule -- never do to others what you would not like them to do to you." Whether we find our direction in the Qu'ran, the Torah, the Gospels of Jesus Christ, or in the spiritual disciplines of Buddha or guidance from the Hindu Holy Scripture, Vedas, compassion is the common thread that each of our traditions and our beliefs hold near and dear to our faith. Therefore, we believe that health care for all is a matter of compassion, it is a matter of social conscious, and it is consistent with the Golden Rule that defines our various expressions of faith. As spiritual leaders, we believe that accessible and affordable health care for all Americans is compassionate and it embodies our best religious intentions.
As spiritual leaders we seek to do what is right for the citizens of the United States. We know it to be true that the average life expectancy in the world is 82 years from birth. The average life expectancy within the United States is 77.85 years from birth, ranking the the United States the 47th in life expectancy in the world. In a Satisfaction Survey done in 2001 with fifteen European Countries, the U.S. and Canada by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States ranked 14 out out of 17 of citizens satisfied with their health care. The citizens of Italy, Greece and Portugal rated their satisfaction lower than the citizens of the U.S. The infant mortality rate ranks the U.S. 22nd in the world with 7 deaths per 1000 babies born, placing the U.S. behind New Zealand and Canada. Where the U.S. unquestionably leads in health care, it is on what our nation spends on it. Japan, whose population is considerably older than the U.S. spends $3000.00 per person on while in the U.S., we spend $7000.00 per person on health care. In addition 46 million Americans are currently uninsured with many more under-insured.
Such statistics betray our fundamental human values, offend our religious sensibilities, and dishonor the American people and the ideals of our founding fathers and mothers who believed in an undying loyalty to our right for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore, we believe that accessible and affordable health care for all Americans is right for our country, it is faithful to the American ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it is compassionate and faithful to our religious practices. It is in this context that we affirm our unity and request that our political leaders and public servants in our nation and in the State of Indiana, urgently address health care reform for all Americans.
No comments:
Post a Comment