Normally this column addresses state policy issues. This time it speaks to a national question — the scope of religious liberty in our national health care reform legislation.
Tag: healthcare
Janesville hospital opens new chapter
On December 3 and 4, St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital and Dean Clinic hosted an open house to begin a new chapter in health care for the Rock County and surrounding area.
Bill may keep abortion from health exchanges
The State Senate gave its approval to legislation to prohibit health insurance providers that participate in future state exchanges from including elective abortions in their coverage.
On medical decision-making
Each fall, as we observe October, Respect Life Month, we are reminded of our obligation to combat the relentless attacks on all innocent human life.
Our experience throughout this past spring and summer indicates that in addition to the tragic killing of our preborn brothers and sisters, assaults on vulnerable elderly, sick, and disabled people are definitely on the rise, especially here in Wisconsin.
Providing advice, advocacy
Pro-Life Wisconsin is being enlisted to provide more and more materials, speakers, advice, and direct advocacy regarding end-of-life and medical decisions.
The elderly are a blessing, not a burden
As the 20th century came to a close, the United Nations celebrated the International Year of Older Persons, heralding the vision of “A Society for All Ages.”
The first years of the new millennium have been anything but that, with the abandonment of frail seniors during natural disasters from New Orleans to Japan, the legalization of assisted suicide in several U.S. states and foreign countries, and political rhetoric that seems to consider the growing population of seniors merely as a drain on our health care system and the federal budget. Is this the society for all ages we envisioned in 1999?
What happened to freedom of religion?
Is pregnancy a disease? Should Catholics, purchasing insurance for themselves or their employees be forced against their consciences to subsidize its prevention?
These questions lie at the heart of new regulations just issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which will administer President Barack Obama’s new health care law.
Ethics of reproductive health care
The regulations include a list of “preventive services” that all group health plans must provide without any co-pay. The list includes female surgical sterilization, plus all FDA-approved contraceptives, including some (like the prescription drug ella) that can act as abortifacients.
Drastic measures and cancer decisions
During the 1990’s, scientists discovered two gene mutations in the BRCA family of genes that significantly increase a woman’s chances of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
Hardline politics doesn’t work, may affect charities
To the editor:
I can understand Bishop Morlino’s neutral position on the issues now facing the state of Wisconsin, but there are many repercussions should the governor’s budget bill pass.
Mr. McCluskey (Catholic Herald Mailbag, March 10) touched briefly on a decline in healthcare. To add to that, nurses and other hospital staff can be forced to work double shifts even though they have family at home to attend to or if they have plane reservations for the same time-frame.
My daughter faced this situation at UW Hospital. If she hadn’t been protected by the union, she would have been out the money for her plane ticket and if she refused to work another shift, she would have faced the possible loss of her job.
Working through a hard death
Caregivers and health care professionals can and often do greatly assist those who are suffering and dying. Even with careful pain management and comfort measures, however, the dying process can still be agonizing and difficult.
Each death has a unique and particular trajectory, but even the most difficult and unpleasant deaths often have powerful graces and remarkable opportunities for growth mysteriously interwoven into them.
St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital is hiring management team
With much of the new St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital structure now in place, attention is quickly turning to who will work in the new facility.