Christian Groups launch Ad Campaign Pushing Health Reform

By Kari Lydersen
A coalition of Christian groups are launching a radio ad campaign in southern and Midwestern states calling for bipartisan cooperation in passing affordable health care reform. The groups hope the radio spots will reach key legislators still undecided about the issue while they are at home for the Memorial Day recess.

The ads, featuring the voices of local pastors, urge constituents to call their congressmen and "encourage them to work together to make quality health care choices affordable for all families," as a Missouri ad puts it.

While not advocating a specific policy, pastors said during a conference call Thursday that their parishioners are being forced to choose between buying food and medicine and are delaying care until they end up in the emergency room.

The ads begin airing Thursday night in Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, Florida, Colorado, Nebraska and Arkansas, and will run through the recess. They are targeting both Republican and Democratic senators in Indiana, Missouri and Florida; and Democrats including Mary L. Landrieu (D-La.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) in the other states. Targeted House members include Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) and Sam Graves (R-Mo.).

The ads are part of an ongoing nationwide campaign that includes about 130 health care-related Sunday events at churches and meetings with 38 members of Congress. The coalition expects tens of thousands of parishioners to participate in these events through June and July. The effort is coordinated by a number of Christian groups including the PICO National Network, Gamaliel Foundation and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Some rabbis and imams are also involved.

"We have to be on the frontlines as advocates for affordable health care," said Rev. Don Morrow of the First Christian Church in Bentonville, Ark. "It's really a matter of justice in a nation that by many measures is the wealthiest in the history of humankind."

Pastors on the conference call declined to comment specifically on questions of public versus private financing and mandatory insurance coverage, but said conservatives and liberals within the Christian community are more united than ever before in recognizing the need for health care reform and affordability. They said the congregations involved in the campaign include many conservative white evangelicals, along with Catholics and African American Baptist churches.

"We felt and saw when the last health care reform opportunity came around that the faith community was either sidelined or placed in one camp or another," said pastor John Hay Jr. of West Morris Street Free Methodist Church in Indianapolis. "It was an intention to divide and silence. The perspective within our congregation is very diverse in terms of what should be done. But health care needs to be affordable for everyone and made available to everyone on an ability to pay basis. Nothing should hinder that."

Katie Paris, spokesperson for the group Faith in Public Life, lauded the Obama administration for "high goals in terms of getting everyone covered," but said "there will need to be an awful lot of political will to achieve this."