21 Faith Leaders Arrested in Senate Gallery Following Health Care Rally
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2017
Contact:
Michelle Nealy, (202) 735-7123, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org
Greg Williams, (443) 854-1405, gwilliams@faithinpubliclife.org
21 Faith Leaders Arrested in Senate Gallery Following Health Care Rally
Religious leaders delivered a coffin and death certificate to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office to demand that Congress preserve the Affordable Care Act
Washington, DC — Today interfaith leaders rallied to demand that the Senate vote “no” on any effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act and work to protect health care for the most vulnerable in our society. For two weeks in a row, people of faith have taken up the call of Jeremiah once again to go to the places where powers sit and demand they stop the political murder of those who may lose health care.
They delivered a coffin and death certificate to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office to demand that Congress preserve the Affordable Care Act. Faith leaders proceeded to the Senate Gallery where twenty-one were arrested chanting “Kill the Bill.”
Clergy will host actions on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM until Congress recesses in August. Watch a livestream of the action here.
Rev. Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister of Justice & Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ, Cleveland, Ohio:
“The strength of a nation can be measured by the health of its people. A sick people will never be a strong people. We are not here as Republicans or Democrats. There are some issues that are too large for partisan politics.
“We are here because of the cries of the people. We are here to remind you of their cries.”
Leslie Boyd, Impacted person, Asheville, North Carolina:
“How dare you say that it is alright to take away access to care to 33 million Americans? I will never again hear my son’s voice. My surviving son does not have health insurance and has high blood pressure. I cannot lose both of my children. How is taking his care away right? How is this pro-life? How is this moral? Please Senators, please, let him live.”
Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Director, Office of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church (USA):
“We can’t go back. Do not give control of health care to insurance companies. We can do better. Congress, do not support this bill. Members of the faith community stand in opposition to anything that hurts the poor or takes away coverage from the sick. We can do better and we must do better.”
Dr. Carol Paris, President of Physicians for a National Health Program:
“Our Congress is about to sign a Death Certificate for 29,000 people. That’s the number of people who will suffer preventable death due to losing health insurance if the BCRA is passed. As physicians, we can’t prevent these deaths but Congress can.”
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