It is important to make clear the U.S. Bishops position in the current health care debate:

We have long supported reform to provide adequate and affordable health care for all but any final health care bill must include these fundamental principles.

•Current federal law on abortion funding and conscience protection on abortion must be kept in place

•Immigrants present access to health care must be protected and current barriers removed to provide health care to all immigrants regardless of status.

•There must be strong provisions for adequate affordability and coverage standards.

The bill approved by the House of Representatives meets these criteria. The bill approved by the Senate does not. Outside the abortion context, neither bill has adequate conscience protection for health care
providers, plans or employers

A compromise proposal is now being worked on and must be approved by both House and Senate. We believe it must include these fundamental principles.

Legislation that fails to comply with this policy and precedent is not true health care reform and should be opposed until this fundamental problem is remedied.