Nuns side with Catholic Health Association in favor of health reform

First it was the Catholic Health Association splitting with the church and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on health reform, now it's U.S. nuns. A letter was delivered to members of Congress yesterday on behalf of 59,000 Catholic Sisters throughout the U.S., that called the healthcare bill a "faith mandate" as far as ensuring coverage for everyone. "We have witnessed firsthand the impact of our national health care crisis, particularly its impact on women, children and people who are poor," the letter reads. "While it is an imperfect measure, it is a crucial next step in realizing health care for all." The letter also points out that "despite false claims to the contrary," the bill won't provide federal dollars for abortions. "It will uphold longstanding conscience protections and it will make historic new investments--$250 million--in support of pregnant women," the letter continues. "This is the REAL pro-life stance, and we as Catholics are all for it." Letter