The Debate: Mormonism and Healthcare Reform

I was on Facebook the other day and I saw something extremely unusual. A colleague of mine posted a note urging his friends to support the President’s pitch for healthcare reform. [Insert shock and whispers here.]

Why is that so unusual? Because 70% of my 520 Facebook friends live in Utah and 99% of those individuals are devout Mormons, including my note-posting friend. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are notoriously conservative, and the vast majority are opposed to President Obama’s healthcare reform policies. Traditional principles of self-sufficiency and individualism, fiscal prudence and suspicion of Big Government combine to deter most Mormons in Utah from supporting a large, federal takeover of the healthcare system.

But enter Steven Thatcher. Steven’s pro-Obama Facebook note got me thinking about those few Mormons in the area that are vocally supportive of the Democrats’ healthcare agenda (he’s the only one I know of—and I know a lot of people). Who are these political outsiders? Are they frustrated by Utah’s shameless conservatism? Does their Mormonism have anything to do with their liberal-leaning ideologies?

Well, Steven had answers to all those questions. He runs a blog at crownbrown.net where he often posts about his dedicated passion toward healthcare reform, frequently using his Mormon upbringing as the basis for many of his political views.

“Mormon theology is very interested in city and community-building—that we can’t get where we’re going without each other,” says Steven. “This principle underlies my belief that societies are richer and, in the long run, better off by healing the medically uninsured.”

Steven believes that a good Mormon is one that helps others in need, and that the 45 million or so Americans without health insurance are unquestionably in dire need. He insists it is society’s responsibility to care for those that cannot care for themselves, and that his Mormonism only augments his petition for universal healthcare. Steven’s background as a Special Ed teacher and his wife’s job as a nurse also contribute to his outlook, he says.

Steven doesn’t expect Obama’s original healthcare plan to pass easily in Congress, and neither to I. Town hall meetings and angry constituents are just the tip of this sizzling iceberg, especially here in Provo. Folks here are troubled with the idea that the government may play a larger, more expensive role in America’s healthcare system.

So do all those conservatives in Mormon Country chase Steven around with pitchforks and hymnals? Nah.

“I’m pleasantly surprised by how many of my LDS peers are friendly, if not supportive, of President Obama. Many seem unsure of their commitment, since Utah is the reddest state in the nation, and very likely the majority of them have conservative parents who do not support the President’s agenda. And though I’m sure I am still in the significant minority in Utah with a liberal leaning, I feel comfortable and open in expressing my views.”