Morality and the Challenges We Face

President Obama has recently met with thousands of religious supporters where he declared that his plan for health care is the moral choice. There is a moral choice to be made but in this case he is on the wrong side and his attempt to use religion for his own political gain is simple theatrics. He has no standing to make such a declaration.

Morality is all about putting our desires and choices in line with the God's plan. It is our human attempt to fulfill the will of God in our lives. First we should be clear that morality is foremost a personal call. We cannot expect to impose morality on the world if we are not first living it out in our own personal choices. In this case we have a man who has only the weakest of ties to Christianity. By his own words he did not pay attention to what occurred in his old Church with the rantings of the Reverend Wright and he has yet to show indications of worshipping and practicing the faith he was so quick to make public when it suited his needs. It is clear that his Christianity is largely seen as something to check off on his way to the presidency. It is not reflected in his life.

Of all presidents in recent history, this president has the poorest record of using his own funds to support the Church or give to any charitable organizations. He has shown zero regard for the unborn in his voting record and even in his personal comments. This is the man who when asked about contraception for his own daughter spoke of a pregnancy as if it were a disease and not the serious consequence of our own actions and an opportunity to cooperate with the creative power of God. This is also the man who promised a change in how Washington works but has shown great favor for his supporters, particularly large and often corrupt unions and who has put this country on a course of spending that will have major negative consequences for future generations. That too is a moral choice and in this case a bad choice was made. Bad choices were made by others before him as well but at least they practiced what they preached in their personal lives and the President has not brought about the change he so boldly promised.

Without the personal practice of morality the President has no right to invoke morality as being on his side. Health care is something all responsible people care about providing for those in need. What is clear is that there is great disagreement as to how to provide that care. Does that mean that the President has the only moral plan and all others are immoral? Of course not! After all, despite the existence of several versions of the health plan, no one is disputing that over 30 million people will be left uncovered in the new plan, in addition to all illegal aliens. In addition it is clear that there are serious problems with his plan. Perhaps what is most immoral in this situation is the attempt to ram it down the throats of the American people without proper review. Many in Congress had not read the plan and there is still disagreement as to which is the real plan being discussed.

One plan publically available does have a section where patients are counseled on their rights to end their treatment. A similar program is currently being implemented in the Veterans Administration. During this "counseling" the patient is asked to first to evaluate the quality of life they can expect for the future. Then they are asked to evaluate whether they feel they will be a burden to their family and friends! It is the job of a healer to help the patient to find hope for the future and if an ailing patient is seen only as a burden by their family and friends then it is the family and friends who have a big problem in their morality, not the patient. To give in to such greed and selfishness is immoral in itself!

Human life is precious. What is clear about the plans of the government is that human life will be valued on its benefit to society and not on any value in life itself. Yes there are times when one may decide that the consequences of undergoing treatment outweigh the potential benefits, but that decision should be based on the patient's well informed evaluation on the affects on their own life, not on the potential inconvenience towards others. The morality of a society is judged on how we treat the least among us. What does it say about us if we are so ready to discard those who no longer provide benefits for us or for society?

All too often a person awaiting treatment is in pain and has been demoralized by their experience. That is not the proper mind to make such decisions. This is why doctors, friends, clergy and family need to provide hope for the individual to see what is possible. If someone says they want to die or are ready to die, we should not take this as a decision on life. It is a judgment based on their current emotions and sufferings. We need to make sure they see the possibilities for the future and not simply agree with their current frame of mind. I have seen many demoralized patients recover enough to find happiness and fulfillment in life. What would happen if we had simply handed them a form and then discontinued treatment?

There are moral issues to be discussed here but they should not detract us from evaluating this health plan on its merits and the ways in which it opens us up to immoral criteria for action, especially by an impersonal government obsessed with counting costs. These are personal decisions that should be made with those involved in our lives. Do you really think that members of Congress or the White House will be given the same government options as your parents, yourself or your family? The issues now involved with having or not having health insurance will only be exchanged for issues of having or not having influence within the bureaucracy. The chances for immoral choices will only grow and be out of the hands of most Americans.

Yes there are moral questions involved with our national policy on health care. There are also moral questions regarding the tremendous debt we are building up for future generations, trading our betterment of life style for their enslavement to decisions made before their time. More importantly are the moral questions as to who will make decisions regarding our health care. Will it be based on the obligation we all have to uphold the sanctity of all human life or will it be based on the central government's need to cut costs and put in policies as to the winners and losers of the health care system. As for the President's declaration that his is the morally right way, this I can confidently disregard out of hand. His personal actions do not give him moral standing to make such judgments. He should stick to politics and try to make sound judgments regarding national politics based on facts. We can evaluate the moral issues without his help.