Time magazine today published an interview with N.M. Sen. Pete Domenici on the historic passage of his mental-health parity bill last week. Part of the beyond-massive bailout bill, it culminated a 12-year quest on his part, along with becoming a capstone on his 36-year Senate career.

Besides recounting the bill’s hurdles over the years, Domenici — a Catholic and a Republican — offered his thoughts on how our concerns for people’s lives must extend beyond their births:

I went to a clinic that handles little tiny babies that are born premature and they showed us what new equipment they have and how the baby can be saved and nourished at even a pound and a half. We spend hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars to save little premature babies and that shows a real commitment on our part. And then we turn right around and, for the mentally ill, we have made it so difficult for so long to even say it’s an illness that you just can’t quite figure it out. We can do better.

Meanwhile, other publications are lauding Domenici’s effort, including this one, which wisely notes the coming costs of returning war veterans:

Perhaps, most importantly, as many members of the U.S. armed forces have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with serious mental problems, more people are taking these issues more seriously. The stigma of having mental health problems is slowly eroding.