The ChristenUnie’s real question is: are you for or against abortion?, writes Barend van Lieshout

This is the seventh in a series about the healthcare plans of the (main) political parties.  

It would probably be going too far to characterise the ChristenUnie as a single-issue party, but where their healthcare plans are concerned I think the description fits. The manifesto certainly contains all kinds of plans for improving healthcare and making it future proof.

But a vote for healthcare CU-style is not about making healthcare means-tested or having case managers head the care of elderly Alzheimer patients. A vote for the CU is a vote on abortion, euthanasia and other moral issues.

Marketing gimmicks

Having said that, it is precisely on these issues that the CU manifesto remains opaque. It is clear enough that the party doesn’t advocate abortion or euthanasia but what would happen if it were to become part of the next cabinet isn’t clear.

Will the CU negotiate and is a compromise already being thought of? Are the quotes from the bible in the manifesto just so many marketing gimmicks or are they a true reflection of a principled party? Voters have a right to know how these issues will be handled because the CU’s stance will determine the yes or no of many voters.

The Christian viewpoint leads to rather surprising choices, to me at least. The Personal Care Budget (PGB) for instance, is adopted principally because it allows people to choose care suited to their religious beliefs. Organ donation is seen as a perfect way to show love for one’s fellow man. Prenatal operations are being praised as a good way to prevent abortions, while at the same time caution is being preached about the use of new and expensive medical techniques.

Organ trade

The real surprise is the CU’s determined statement on the organ trade. This must be dealt with severely. Not everyone may perhaps have been aware of the huge significance of this problem but the CU is, and they’re doing something about it. What exactly is not clear but I hereby coin the term ‘kidney cops’.

And for those who thought the contribution towards hospitalisation costs would be scrapped from the Kunduz accord would be wrong: the CU is still in favour. The average hospital stay is around five days and it’s unlikely a contribution of a couple of euros a day will change that. The benefits would be less than the cost of collecting the money.

The CU’s plans also include a care saving scheme. The accompanying example is that of people saving up for a stair-lift. The party is not the only one in favour of such a scheme, but how relevant is saving up for a stair-lift of, say, €5,000 when we take health care costs as a whole into account?

A care home costs €50,000 a year and the suggestion that we put people who happen not to have saved for a stair lift into a care home at ten times the cost is irrational to say the least.

But then none of this really matters. The only healthcare question the CU asks of you is: are you for or against abortion and euthanasia?

Barend van Lieshout is a healthcare adviser at Rebel