President’s Letter
Dear CMA Members and Friends in Christ,
Now is the time for us to join hands with other Christians to defend the principles that guide our everyday lives.
Current government leaders oppose our right to practice medicine according to our conscience, instead they support increased access to and funding for abortion and transgender therapy. Marxist principles, in the guise of “Critical Race Theory,” threaten the ideas that form the basis of our nation’s founding principles, which protect the individual’s rights. The language of “social justice,” “equity,” and “diversity” distort the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. These terms have become a political tool to silence any opposition.
These threats can appear overwhelming. The powers of evil divide us within our churches and medical organizations. Like a pack of wolves, they single out members of the herd for slaughter. If the herd does not unify to protect the weakest, the herd will suffer.
Let us use the initials of our organization as an acronym to remind us of our necessary response, because inaction is not an option:
C: Collaborate
M: Mobilize
A: Action
COLLABORATE
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
—Helen Keller
We magnify our impact when we collaborate with other organizations for a common purpose: to uphold the principles of our Catholic faith in the practice of medicine. This issue of The Pulse of Catholic Medicine focuses on the efforts of the Catholic Medical Association to unite with like-minded organizations to advance shared goals.
CMA has aligned with the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Pediatrics, and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons to form the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. This alliance upholds and promotes the fundamental principles of protecting the vulnerable at the beginning and end of life, seeking the ultimate good for the patient with compassion and moral integrity, and providing healthcare with the highest standards of excellence based on medical science. It represents more than 30,000 healthcare workers in the United States.
The Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance brings together CMA, Catholic Bar Association, Catholic Benefits Association, Galen Institute and Christ Medicus in a shared vision to strengthen and defend Catholic healthcare in this nation.
Collaborative efforts between CMA, the Order of Malta and the Global Strategic Operatives to combat human trafficking is also resulting in positive solutions that respect the dignity and worth of each individual.
MOBILIZE
“It’s easy to stop a lone dissenter; it’s much harder to stop 10, 20, 100, 1,000, 1,000,000, or more who stand up together for the principles of America.”
— Christopher F. Rufo, Imprimis, March 2021
The impact of our efforts is most significant when large numbers of healthcare professionals and the people they serve form and catalyze a grassroots movement to raise their voices in defiance against actions contrary to our deeply-held beliefs and natural law. We must unite to oppose politicians, legislatures, organizations, and corporations that support these ideologies. Our Leadership Training Meeting held from June 18-20 was critical to implementing an effective response to hostile ideologies. The Student and Resident Boot Camp also held this past week is preparing future and new physicians to be fearless in pursuing truth and justice in the practice of medicine. And with the growth of our Guilds, physicians and other healthcare professionals around the country receive continuing formation and support to be leaders in safeguarding the Christian principals in the field of medicine.
ACTION
“From now on it is only through a conscious choice and through a deliberate policy that humanity can survive.”
— John Paul II
Collaborative efforts must yield authentic positive solutions, which is why they need to be anchored in Catholic Social Teaching. The necessary action will take courage and a willingness to be uncomfortable. Opposition and hate will come at us from all sides. However, when enough of us overcome the fear that holds us back from speaking the truth, the falsehoods will begin to crumble.
Please join me and other members to collaborate in the courageous fight to overcome ideologies opposed to Christianity and natural law. Contact your local guild or the national office of the Catholic Medical Association to see how you can get involved.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Parker, M.D.
President
