Article Commentary: Restoring Christ-Centered Medicine through Public Policy Changes Centered around Subsidiarity and the Doctor–Patient Relationship

Abstract

Many Catholic leaders supported passage of legislation designed to achieve the humanitarian goal of universal or near-universal health coverage. These leaders could not imagine that the resulting law would lead to a severe assault on the practice of Christ-centered medicine. The legislative focus now is on conscience protection and making the Hyde Amendment permanent. But the real change that is needed is a culture that values life and puts doctors and patients, not secular bureaucracies, at the center of healthcare decisions. Many new proposals are being offered with the shared goals of expanding access to affordable health coverage, allowing people to make their own choices without oppressive government mandates, helping the most vulnerable, and protecting the right of citizens and medical professionals to live and work according to their religious values and principles.