A multidenominational coalition of religious groups on Tuesday will launch a 40day campaign to encourage about 100 members of Congress in 18 states to pass health care reform legislation this year, CongressDaily reports. The campaign will include television advertisements, special sermons and a telephone conference call and webcast with President Obama on Aug. 19 (Dann, CongressDaily, 8/10). Among the groups involved in the campaign are the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, the Islamic Society of North America, the PICO National Network, Faith in Public Life and Sojourners (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 8/10).

The groups officials said that although the religious community may have different opinions about abortion funding and how it should be handled in the final overhaul bill, the issue should not be used to stop progress on health reform. Sojourners President Jim Wallis said, “While we have differences on the issue of abortion, the faith community is saying those that are prolife and prochoice are saying that abortion must not be the occasion for scuttling, destroying or sabotaging health care reform” (CongressDaily, 8/10).

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the planned events and the ad campaign are not designed to “pressure Congress on any particular plan” (Spolar, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/11). The coalitions members on Monday, in announcing the campaign, said one of their objectives is to challenge the false information that has surfaced about health reform efforts (Dennis, Roll Call, 8/10). Wallis said, “There are people in the country who want to stop an honest, fair, civil and moral conversation about health care. Theyre organized and they really want to shut down democracy and we cant let that happen,” adding, “The faith community is literally going to stand in the way of those who want to stop a conversation.”

Group leaders said that Obamas participation in the campaign without an accompanying Republican viewpoint does not turn it into a partisan event, as Obama is not expected to discuss specifics about his reform preferences. The coalition instead will focus on the “moral imperative” of health reform in its discussion with Obama (CQ HealthBeat, 8/10).

Conservative Religious Group Suggests TownHall Meeting Questions

Meanwhile, the Family Research Council, an offshoot of Focus on the Family, is sending email alerts to members, encouraging them to go to townhall meetings and providing them with sample questions to ask lawmakers. For example, one of the questions states, “Will you agree to an ironclad guarantee that this bill will not fund abortions, leave state abortion limits in place, and protect health care providers from being forced to perform abortions?” The group also is running ads in five states (CongressDaily, 8/10).

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