Putting Kids First

At the beginning of the 109th Congress, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) introduced a bill called the Kids Come First Act into the U.S. Senate. The Kids Come First Act (S. 114) would provide health care to all of America's children, and it would also help governors and states save on health care costs by reducing the burden on states' Medicaid rolls. More than half a million people have signed on as "citizen cosponsors," and over 20,000 people have called into a hotline set up by Sen. Kerry to tell their stories about the need for all children to have health care coverage in our nation.

For pro-life Catholics, this is an opportunity to put our money where our mouths are. It's time for us to affirm unambiguously that being pro-life is more than being against abortion (although that's certainly important); it's time for us to affirm that children are just as important to us after they've been born as they are to us before birth. There's no reason why every Catholic in the United States shouldn't be writing to or calling their senators about this legislation. So pick up the phone, grab a pen and paper, or open up an e-mail and let your senators know that you want them to start putting American kids first by cosponsoring the Kids Come First Act (S. 114).