Given the substantial and continued drops in the stock market these past days, I am more concerned than ever about the shameful situation that exists in our historically Christian nation. That is, I find the prevailing notion that healthcare is a market commodity and not a basic human right in the US an affront to my Catholic Christian beliefs, the core values of my ministry site, Goshen College, and the ethics of my nursing profession. While it is tempting to consider John Roth’s notion of a sabbatical from voting/politics, in conscience I cannot do so.

Rather I must vote for the candidate whom I believe will most closely reflect a consistent ethic of respecting life, whether at the ends of the spectrum or anywhere in between. My fear is that the ranks of the nearly 50 million people in our country without healthcare coverage will soon swell beyond what was ever thought possible as the economy that supports jobs that in turn provide healthcare benefits continues to suffer the effects of greed and hubris among the top of our free market pyramid. Justice demands that I not be silent, but that I act as a responsible citizen to make informed choices while exercising my privilege of voting in a free society with a legacy of “one nation under God”.