What Would Jesus Do?

The Reverend Sandra L. Straus spoke at our Single Payer, Guaranteed Healthcare For All Forum one week ago.

I've heard her speak several times and we have worked together on several Single Payer functions over the last few years.

She gave me the copy of her speech and I wish to share it, because the question arises in my mind: What would Jesus do?

The United States proclaims itself to be a Christian Nation, at least among the Republican crowd, of note the Christian Right.

Yet they vehemently oppose health care for all the American people. In fact, they seem to care less if people are suffering.

So here is a transcript of her speech to us and it gave me a feeling of the Christ that really wants all of us to be cared for and loved.

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"I begin by sharing a few words from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."

"Sadly, it seems that not only have inequalities continued, they appear to be growing worse.

"A colleague in another state asked his constituents the following question: What does it mean for us, as members of Christ's body in the world, to carry on Jesus' work of bringing hope and healing to all?

"As this question suggests, health care is very much an issue for the faith community. As Protestant Christiansthe constituency I representour concerns are shaped by the biblical principles of stewardship and justice.

"It seems that our nation's economic and political institutions, by and large, have not been good stewards of the resources that our society allocates to health care. We fail to be good stewards of our nation's health care resources when Americans spend two to three times as much per person as other industrialized countriesand our overall health outcomes are worse!

"In addition, disparities in health care coverage raise serious questions about the overall justice of our present system. All persons are precious in the eyes of God. No person's well-being can be reduced to a price and bought and sold without moral and ethical considerations. Persons are more than "consumers" of the goods and services produced by the health care system: all are entitled to care, respect, and compassion, regardless of their state of health, their medical history, their personal circumstances, or their ability to pay.

"As Christians, we believe that all creation is sacred, precious and worthy of being safeguarded. We believe that we are called to pursue justice and to practice love and compassion. We believe that we have a responsibility for stewardship, especially for stewardship of those resources that protect the well-being of human lives.

"Finally, we believe that we are called to action to advocate and work for the well-being of poor and marginalized persons, as summed up by these words from the prophet Isaiah: "...seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."

"Orphans and widows were considered the most vulnerable members of the society of Isaiah's timeand at the time of Jesus. This includes advocating for access to comprehensive and affordable health care for ALL persons, access not based solely on wealth, population, or other arbitrary determinant.

"Health care coverage must be for everyone. The religious conscience will accept nothing less.

"The Pennsylvania Council of Churches has chosen to support the only proposal that addresses both of these concerns for Pennsylvaniathe Family and Business Health Security Act, which would provide for a publicly administered system that covers all Pennsylvanians, but also maintains individual choice of comprehensive, privately delivered health care.

"In closing, I want to remind all of you here that Jesus was a healerand healing was one of the most important aspects of Jesus' ministry. The gospels are replete with stories of Jesus healing the sick, raising the dead, restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, and making lame persons walk. He cared deeply for the spiritual welfare of all as well. He empowered others "to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal" (Luke 9:2). He never refused to heal someone because they could not pay, and obviously preexisting conditions were his specialty.

"It seems to me that Jesus would provide for the health and well-being of all persons.

"While I can't claim that Jesus would endorse this legislation, I suspect that he would be happy to know that we are working, as he did, to provide health and healing for everyone...because I doubt that he would settle for anything less."

The Reverend Sandra L. Straus

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Another point in this talk that struck me profoundly was that Jesus was a healer. Nurses can learn from this Healer among healers and realize that our mission as health care workers is to to bring comfort to the sick. The art of touch, a soothing voice, gentle and silent movements all contribute to a peaceful outcome.

And Single Payer would bring to us patients who are healthier and happier; people who come to the hospital and doctor sooner for health care intervention.

This would be a dream come true for our profession.