My thoughts after the thoughts from the Corner:
Some Days, It’s Hard to Be a Catholic [Jack Fowler]
Up in Albany, the Diocese chooses to facilitate sin. Today it’s syringes. Maybe tomorrow, condoms? From the Times Union.
Catholic Charities will take one of its boldest steps yet on Monday: passing out free syringes to IV drug users in two urban neighborhoods to prevent the spread of the disease.Anticipating criticism, the social services agency of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany spent five years planning and vetting the needle exchange program, which received approval from its trustees and board chairman, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard."I understand there will be questions, but this is common sense," said Sister Maureen Joyce, CEO of Catholic Charities. "I strongly believe in this. It will save lives. . . .”An $83,000 custom van will be stocked with syringes and other medical supplies intended to reduce the risk of infection spread by sharing contaminated needles and unsanitary injection methods.The van will be parked in the city's South End and Arbor Hill neighborhoods, closest to where police believe injection drug use is most prevalent.
Jehosaphat, we’ve come a long way from Aquinas.
01/29 09:50 AMShare
Let me say I am not sure what I think about this. I am not going to go on the conservative bandwagon and start yelling this is wrong. YET
It might be. However on this matter I have generally been not an opponent when this happens in the civil sphere or when cities do it.
Now for some reason I see a difference between this and lets say Catholic Charities passing out condoms. However that is just a gut feeling and one I can't articulate very well just minutes after seeing this story. I could be very wrong. In fact I suspect the odds are great that I am. But perhaps that gut feeling is not wrong.
Still this is a interesting and important thing that should be engaged before people all go into their respective corners and start battling it out over this.
I'd say this is a very bad idea.
ReplyDeleteAs my profile states, I'm a recovering alcoholic. Over the years that has involved a whale of a lot of AA meetings where I'd meet recovering addicts of all kinds.
One thing you can bet on, these folks who had "been there, done that" would be screaming like the Temptations over this idea. The only way you REALLY help an addict/alcoholic is let him hit a bottom ASAP. Providing needles just postpones that.
But I'm sure they didn't ask anyone that had firsthand knowledge about this, there were too many formally educated "experts" they could turn to.
Noted.