The Catholic Church and U.S. Health Care Reform

Abstract

The Catholic Church is the largest (and arguably the best organized) single denomination in the United States, and it has extensive holdings in the health care field. It therefore has a material stake in the current debate over health care reform, as well as a moral interest in a question touching on the ethics of resource distribution. The position of the church on health care is analyzed as a case study of how organized religion interacts with and attempts to influence social policy in a pluralistic society.