John Kerry, Orin Hatch want to fund nonsense.

[RandFan]

Health Funding for Science, Not Faith

The Secular Coalition for America takes no position on the Baucus Health Care Bill itself, but we are working to defeat three proposed amendments that would alter public policy to privilege religious people.


First is the bipartisan amendment sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and John Kerry (D-Mass.). Under current law, religious people who object to medical care may have some "spiritual care" covered by Medicare and Medicaid, including reimbursement for payments that Christian Scientists make to members of the Church who pray for them when they are ill. Numerous children have died while receiving this "spiritual care," when modern science could easily have saved their lives. The Hatch-Kerry Amendment would make a bad situation even worse. It would expand such practices and require all private and public health plans to cover "spiritual care," whether or not the individual has religious objections to medical care. Not only does such funding undermine our Constitution, it more easily puts your tax dollars into the waiting hands of scam artists. Taxpayers would pay for this religion-based care, for which there is no scientific evidence of effectiveness. Even worse, placing the government stamp of approval on non-scientific practices such as "spiritual care" would place many more lives at risk.

Further proof that idiocy isn't restricted to the right-wing only.

 

[MikeMangum]

A person has to pay to have others pray for them?

 

[RandFan]

A person has to pay to have others pray for them?

In some instances, yeah.

Here's a good audio discussion on the issue (Freedom From Religion Foundations)

 

[Peephole]

Any news on whether the three amendments passed?

 

[Darth Rotor]

Further proof that idiocy isn't restricted to the right-wing only.

Rand, do you have the text of the three ammendments?

 

[GreNME]

Rand, do you have the text of the three ammendments?

None that I could find on THOMAS. The text of the bill as it was Sep. 22nd can be found here and has no such language. I can't find any record of amendment proposals or their accompanying texts.

 

[RandFan]

None that I could find on THOMAS. The text of the bill as it was Sep. 22nd can be found here and has no such language. I can't find any record of amendment proposals or their accompanying texts.

Wha? The news is wrong? Shock.

Mea culpa

 

[maddog]

Yeah, that's a newsflash. "Government wants to waste money" - wow, what a surprise.

You've heard of FML? This is FMG.

 

[TriskettheKid]

Yeah, that's a newsflash. "Government wants to waste money" - wow, what a surprise.

You've heard of FML? This is FMG.

What's a goat got to do with this?

 

[maddog]

Well, I meant "Government". Perhaps you mistook me for Shemp?

 

[Beerina]

A person has to pay to have others pray for them?

Let's see now, God hides if we test if his prayers work. But he'll happily actuate a prayer that's paid for? Who the hell wants to worship this thing?!?!?

​

 

[billydkid]

Nothing wrong with that. Whatever they want to do with their money is fine with me. Oh, wait, you mean they want to take my money and use to fund things they think should be funded, however absurd? Wow, what a job! You get carte blanche to take money from the people who earned it and give it to other people for whatever reason you think is appropriate. Better yet, you get to pretend you are all noble and generous and a wonderful human being for doing it! Being generous is so much easier when you do it with other people's hard earned money.