Religious Groups Weigh In on Health Care Reform

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Religious Groups Weigh In on Health Care Reform

As the political battles over health care reform intensify, religious organizations are forcefully adding their voices to the debate. They have launched media campaigns both for and against the proposals under consideration by the U.S. Congress, appealing to millions of Americans through national radio and television ads, Internet webcasts, conference calls, petitions, prayer vigils and sermons on health care.

Two large coalitions of religious groups have staked out opposing positions on the issue: the Faith for Health campaign strongly backs the current drive to revamp health care, while the Freedom Federation strongly opposes what it calls “the federalization of the health care industry.”

Both coalitions reflect political alliances that emerged in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, with Faith for Health uniting self-described progressive groups and the Freedom Federation uniting self-described conservatives.

Read the full report Religious Groups Weigh In on Health Care Reform on the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life Web site.

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