Mackenzie Harris
Network staff and supporters Nancy Groth, Brie Baumert, Sister Simone Campbell, Sr. Marie Lucey, Sr. Maria Orlandini, and Sr. Marge Clark pose before delivering the Nuns’ Letter to Senator McConnell.
Nuns on the Bus helped pass the Affordable Care Act in 2010, with a letter that countered the Catholic Bishops' opposition to the bill. This year, as the Republicans make attempt after attempt to dismantle the bill they fought for, Catholic sisters are once again demanding that Congress listen to them and stop trying to make healthcare worse. Sister Simone Campbell was on Capitol Hill Monday and she spoke with me about the latest campaign.
Outtakes
"Our organization was founded in 1971, and we opened our doors in '72 and we worked on healthcare all these years. In 2009-2010 we worked really hard on getting healthcare for people who were left out of healthcare in our nation. In that process, when it was coming up for a final vote in the House of Representatives, I wrote what's called the Nuns Letter, that was signed by 59 leaders of Catholic sisters' communities saying that the vote for the Affordable Care Act was a life-affirming vote...
But between the time I wrote and the time we got signatures back our Bishops had come out opposing the bill and then we released our letter in support of the bill, kind of bookending the Bishops, and I've been told by many that they were able, with their Catholic faith, that they were able to vote for the bill because of our letter. I know 29 votes that we got. ...
This time we're taking a letter...signed by the sisters themselves, and all calling on the Senate to care for the most vulnerable. It's outrageous for us as Catholic sisters who work with the most vulnerable in our nation to see that 23, 22 million people could lose healthcare because of this foolishness? That's wrong. And so that's the message that we're carrying today: Stop it."
Interviews for Resistance is a syndicated series of interviews with organizers, agitators and troublemakers, available twice weekly as text and podcast. You can now subscribe here. Previous interviews here.
Update
Sister Simone Campbell's statement after Republicans jammed through a motion to open debate on repealing the Affordable Care Act.
“Advancing this anti-health, anti-life legislation is the wrong way forward. Catholic Sisters stand with our nation’s most vulnerable people. However, the Senate Republicans plan to rip away healthcare from millions in order to give tax breaks to corporations and wealthy donors. This is shameful.
“Senator McCain said that advancing this bill is the way to begin a conversation. He is wrong. The proper way to debate and discuss proposed legislation is through hearings, markups, and debate in committee first and then on the floor. Last-minute time-crunched negotiations and cliff hanger votes are not what is needed for our nation.
“I pray that the Senate will stop this foolishness and instead, focus on bipartisan fixes to the problems with the ACA rather than attempting to weaken the parts of the ACA that are working, like Medicaid expansion. NETWORK suggests they start with our Ten Commandments of Affordable Healthcare if they are looking for inspiration.
“I am so grateful for Senators Collins and Murkowski for their recognition that advancing this bill is bad for our people. I am also grateful to the 48 Democratic Senators who continue to speak out for the health of our nation.”