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e quickly society has moved away from jobs as the main social issue. She suggested that the issue of jobs should be remembered, even if resources were not spent in that area. Ms. Bascom said she had not voted on the Sacred Heart issue because of what might be perceived as a conflict of interest. She said there are 12 hospitals in Portland, which means it has a similar ratio of hospitals to population as Eugene, yet Eugene is recognized in the state as having the finest health care at Sacred Heart. Ms. Bascom suggested that Sacred Heart should be given its due respect in the community both because of its ability to provide jobs and because it is a good health care provider. Mr. Miller said he felt the issue of Sacred Heart came back to him. He said that he was a long-time pro-choice supporter, but that he was also concerned about having a viable health care provider in Eugene. He asked how one could support both the hospital and reproductive rights. Ms. Dunn said that granting Sacred Heart the right to be a hospital authority would be to grant it a public benefit. Yet, she said, the hospital is acting as a private entity by forcing doctors at the clinics it buys to sign an agreement not to perform abortions, although this is in opposition to the choice of much of the public. Mr. Boles said it was not clear to him that the creation of a hospital authority would result in $40 million worth of indigent care benefits. He e said that to him the issue was much larger than that. He said this country is a "laughingstock" in terms of countries in the western world which provide good health care. He said this will continue whether or not Eugene has a hospital authority. He said a major effort is needed at the State, or preferably, the Federal level to improve the health care situation. Mr. Boles said this country spends $550 billion a year on health care. He said this is an issue of social justice, not economics. He suggested health care should not be viewed as an economic determiner because the problem is so much larger than the provision of jobs. Ms. Schue said that while she agreed that Sacred Heart is a valuable institution, she did not think it should be allowed to participate in the public process as a hospital authority as long as it is unwilling to participate in the public process in ways that are important to many. She said the hospital seems to pride itself in having bought many local medical clinics and forbidding abortion at all of them. She said that as an elected official she could not endorse the hospital's position with public money. She said the issue of the hospital is not a matter of jobs, but of justice. Ms. Ehrman said it seems that the schools have moved away from providing recreational activities for youth and that this has shifted the responsibility to the City. Mr. Green said the schools are more interested in providing food and clothing to students and have become more aware of their social responsibilities than they are of the need for recreational opportunities. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 20, 1989 Page 9 Dinner/Work Session