In the aftermath of the "euphoria" in Washington today (as John McCain put it), the last stand from Catholic House Democrats won't likely be remembered in Washington for long. But for a group of about 59,000 poor, many previously uninsured, single women, the success of this year's health-care reform initiative may have cost them dearly. The question is—did the huge risk taken by American nuns really influence the Catholic Democrats' decision to pass health care?

Last Wednesday, the nuns released a statement supporting the Senate's health-care reform bill despite concerns that it was soft on language banning the use of federal funds for abortion. The sisters—including the heads of America's largest women's religious orders—delivered their message through Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby. Taking the long view on the "sanctity of life," a perspective shared by millions of American Catholics, the nuns insisted that the social benefits of expansive health coverage far outweighed concerns about potential legislative loopholes on the abortion issue.

"Despite false claims to the contrary," the nuns wrote, "the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions. It will uphold longstanding conscience protections and it will make historic new investments—$250 million—in support of pregnant women. This is the REAL pro-life stance, and we as Catholics are all for it."

Although it was unusual for the nuns to contradict the higher-ranking U.S. bishops, few realized the risk they were taking better than Catholic commentators Maureen Dowd of the New York Times and Mary Ann Sorrentino of Salon.com. Sorrentino reminded us that nuns have not spoken out so strongly since they publicly backed Geraldine Ferraro for Vice President despite her pro-choice view on abortion. Dowd pointed out that the nuns received a "slap on the wrist" for challenging the bishops and that American nuns are already undergoing a "quality of life" inquiry by the Vatican because many believe there's a dangerous liberal tide running through them. For their part, at least one antiabortion House Democrat, Tim Ryan of Ohio, said that his "yes" vote had been directly influenced by the nuns as well as other Catholics working on the ground in Catholic hospitals and clinics.

Still, despite the nuns' best efforts—along with other statements of support from Catholic hospitals and the National Catholic Reporter, one of the country's most respected Catholic publications—many House Democrats refused to budge on the bill. On Sunday, Bart Stupak (D-MI), finally announced an agreement to vote for the measure, carrying with him the 216 votes needed for passage.

It seems that none of the statements was finally responsible for tipping Stupak's scales. The U.S. Bishops never backed down from their opposition to the bill, but Stupak and others ended up breaking from Bishops when they were promised an executive order from President Obama strengthening the measure's antiabortion language.

In an age when the Church's influence is plummeting, with sharp accusations of scandal leading all the way up the chain of authority to the Pope himself, Catholics—including the ranks of women religious—may be taking a more independent view. As Sorrentino wrote, "Catholic health-care scoreboard: Nuns and laity 2, Bishops 0."

As we turn a new leaf on the health-care issue, it remains to be seen how much deference Catholic politicians will show the bishops in future legislative battles. But as the public's trust in high-ranking Church officials comes crashing down, the nuns may be the ones ready to pick up the pieces. A far cry from their archaic ruler-wielding image, today's Catholic sisters are largely living outside convents—and their commitments, rather than those of the male leadership, may be a better barometer of theological and political trends in the Catholic communities they serve.

Andrea Tabor graduated from USC Annenberg in December 2008 with an M.A. in Broadcast Journalism. She continues to write for Trans/Missions and works full-time as a content manager for Internet Brands, where she oversees the publication of thousands of online articles each month across multiple websites.