State Proposition 409 would fund a $900 million bond for Valleywise Health, which in turn supports gender transitions.
By Catholics for Catholics
The president of Catholics For Catholics is asking the Bishop of Phoenix John Dolan to reconsider his support for state Proposition 409, which would provide additional taxpayer funds to Valleywise Health, a hospital that is deeply invested in gender transition procedures.
Bishop Dolan has given his public support for Proposition 409, the state measure that would use $900 million to build a new 200-bed behavioral health hospital, a new outpatient specialty center on the main campus, expand pediatric and primary care and physician training.
“We believe that access to mental health treatment is an essential part of human dignity and community well-being,” bishop Dolan said in a letter of support, according to The Catholic Sun, the diocese’ official newspaper. “This belief aligns with the mission of Valleywise Health, which for decades has served as a true steward of care, especially for those in crisis and nowhere else to turn.”
Catholics For Catholics President John Yep said that he is all for improving the health of Arizonans, but what he is not in favor of is using taxpayer dollars to support the evils of the LGBTQ agenda and the so called “gender transition treatments.”
“Catholics in the Diocese of Phoenix are shocked that our Bishop has come out so strongly in support of State Proposition 409. It’s a proposition that directly funds the number one LGBTQ hospital statewide,” Yep said.
“We would hope that this is merely ignorance on the Bishop’s part, although it’s hard to believe considering how this hospital has operated in the past” Yep said. “Catholics in good conscience disagree with the Bishop’s support of Proposition 409 and therefore must VOTE NO on this prop.”
“The believe that Valleywise will not use the taxpayer funds for “gender affirming care” is comical at best. Voting No on Proposition 409 is not a rejection of mental health care. It is a call for accountability and transparency. Voters deserve to know how nearly a billion dollars from the last bond were spent before being asked to approve another large measure. Fiscal responsibility and stewardship are moral imperatives as well as civic ones,” Yep said.
Catholics for Catholics tried to contact Ron Johnson, the Executive Director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, the entity that handles public policy for the Diocese of Phoenix. At press time Catholics For Catholics was not able to reach Johnson for a comment on the matter.
“Beyond the financial concerns, there are moral considerations. Valleywise Health proudly promotes itself as a top leader in LGBTQ healthcare through the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that publicly opposes Catholic teaching on human sexuality,” Yep said. “It is difficult to reconcile this public alignment with the Diocese’s mission and moral witness. Supporting a measure that directly benefits an institution so openly at odds with the Church risks causing harm and confusion among the faithful.”
Yep said, “The Bible is clear: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 As Catholics we have a moral responsibility to not fund ideologies that violate the Natural Law and the Sacred Scripture which Proposition 409 intends to do.”
