Theology Reflection 3.26.2008 &quot;Catholics and <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> : Justice, Faith and Hope&quot; After sitting through two other lectures about Catholic Social Action and <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> , I was surprised that nobody was really talking about the election. <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> is a big issue this election because there are two candidates that are fighting for universal or mostly universal <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> . The speaker referenced Faithful Citizenship which was a publication by the U.S. Bishops. This publication said that &quot;Affordable and accessible <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> is an essential safeguard of human life and a fundamental human right.&quot; Without blatantly saying it, it seems the United States Catholic Church, or at least the part of the Church involved in <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> , is very democratic. Affordable and accessible healthcare should be considered an urgent national priority according to the speaker and I agree with them. The end of the lecture addressed that although the Church has no specific conclusions with healthcare, but the general Catholic Social Action and Christian Ethics messages could be translated into that. I do not agree with this because I felt they were selling themselves short since there is not a specific passage they can reference as an argument in Catholic Literature. The United States democratic candidates are battling the same battles because it does not explicitly say anywhere in the Constitution that healthcare should be offered to those who need it, then again the Constitution was written in 1776. It is not surprising that the Church has no documentation of Jesus saying that he supports universal healthcare. Dr. Cahill, the speaker, shouldn't be worried that it doesn't say it anywhere in the Bible. Like I said, there are two candidates that are promoting universal <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> but they have different plans. It boils down to the fact Hilary wants to make it mandatory that everyone is covered, but if you don't buy this universal <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> , you can be subject to a fine. O'Bama is offering <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> to those who want it, running the risk he will be estimating how many people will be buying it and it could back fire. O'Bama's plan could either not cover everyone who wants <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> or account for too many people and that could lose the validity of his fight for universal healthcare. I am still unclear as to whom the United States bishops endorse and if they even would publically endorse one candidate over the other. I am still torn between the two because they both have excellent plans with very little difference. I was hoping this presentation would help make my decision, but instead it made me even less sure. The speaker was very optimistic about the coming election because she feels it is the first time universal healthcare is really attainable. Despite the lectures I saw today, I don't know how the healthcare system works. I didn't think I would know, but I am just acknowledging I don't know the system well enough to criticize it the way this woman did, but I do see the link. I am not sure why the Church doesn't have a bigger impact on the <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> system. It's also upsetting that we live in a world where a lot of people know which celebrity endorses a specific candidate or movement, but the United States' Bishops published something about universal <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> 's link to Christian Ethics went unnoticed. If I didn't go today I never would have thought about the Church's view on <a href="/keyword/health-care/" >health care</a> and the election. It's very obvious what there stance on these issues would be, but until it was brought to my attention I didn't think twice about it.