Need for Subsidiarity

Arright. The Acton Institute stands up for the need for subsidiarity in health care.

On the Acton Institute PowerBlog, Director of Research Dr. Samuel Gregg wrote that the USCCB was right to lay a threefold stress on "the protection of innocent life from the use of lethal force from conception to natural death," "the maintenance of conscience protections," and "the realization of universal access to healthcare for all, especially the poor and migrants" in the health care debate. But Gregg says they overlooked the time-tested Catholic principle of social and economic justice called 'subsidiarity.'

"The truth," Gregg explained, "is that the USCCB's professional social justice bureaucrats have a long history of playing down or even ignoring the implications of the principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity isn't, for example, even listed as one of the "Themes of Catholic Teaching" on the Justice, Peace and Development section of the USCCB's website. It is long past the time for that to change."

Subsidiarity is a Catholic principle of social order that puts a check on government interference in roles that other members of a society can do better and have a responsibility to perform. Gregg emphasized that subsidiarity is neither "anti-government" nor "anti-state" but rather recognizes the importance of government for the common good. Under subsidiarity, government should support - but not dominate - the facilitation of the common good through the actions of individuals and communities .. MORE>>