Area clergy are calling on U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) to stand firm in his opposition to a proposed health-care bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Toledoans United for Social Action, a multidenominational network of faith leaders in Lucas County, held a news conference to that end Thursday.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, (D., Toledo), is set to join other Toledo-area faith leaders in making similar statements Friday.
“As clergy, we feel that it is our responsibility to come out and take a stand,” said the Rev. James H. Willis, Sr., who called on other faith leaders in the area to speak out.
The Rev. Willis, who is pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church and is president of TUSA, opened the statements.
Among the concerns he and other pastors raised were deep cuts to Medicaid under the proposed bill. They suggested these would negatively affect their congregations.
“We want to send a message to Sen. Rob Portman and the other members of Congress to oppose a health bill that would cause about 23 million people to lose health coverage,” Pastor Willis said.
“We need to remember that our seniors, those who are poor and less fortunate than we are, middle-class families — they all sit in our congregations,” he continued later. “They kneel in our church communities.”
The Rev. Jerry Boose of Second Baptist Church further voiced concern about how the proposed bill will affect drug addiction treatment.
When Mr. Portman stated his opposition to the bill last week, after voting on it was delayed until after the Fourth of July recess, he specifically identified drug treatment as a point of concern.
Senate Republicans have since added $45 billion to their bill to fight opioid abuse, in apparent effort to win over reluctant Republican legislators such as Mr. Portman and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.).
Mr. Portman’s office issued a statement in response to the rally.
“Rob has been hearing from people on both sides of the issue and will continue to be an independent voice for Ohio working to fix our broken health care system and ensure that people battling addiction have access to the treatment they need,” Emily Benavides, press secretary for the senator, said in a statement.
Miss Kaptur will protest the Senate health-care bill alongside Toledo clergymen Friday.
Organized by NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice, the event will feature remarks from Miss Kaptur, the Rev. Tim Barger of the First Unitarian Church of Toledo, Sister Pat Schnapp of Sisters of Mercy, Archbishop Marcis Heckman of the Reformed Catholic Church, and Sister Nancy Westmeyer of the Tiffin Franciscans.
The event begins at 10 a.m. Friday at the First Unitarian Church of Toledo, 3205 Glendale Ave.
Contact reporter Nicki Gorny at 419-724-6133 or ngorny@theblade.com.
First Published July 6, 2017, 9:31 p.m.
