Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.

LifeSiteNews ^ | 7/1/09 | LifeSiteNews

[wagglebee]

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chair of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote to members of the House Appropriations Committee yesterday urging them not to fund abortions in the District of Columbia. Last week the House subcommittee that is considering the Financial Services appropriations bill for 2010 voted to permit direct public funding of abortion in the nation's capital.

Cardinal Rigali said that the subcommittee's action "effectively nullifies the Dornan amendment," which for a total of 18 years has prevented public funding of elective abortions in the District. He said this move, "presumably the first step in a broader effort to restore such funding throughout the federal government," is misguided for three reasons.

"First, he said, "public funding of abortion is rejected by the American people, as numerous surveys of public opinion have shown." He also noted that Catholics recently sent "tens of millions of postcards to their elected representatives in Congress, opposing   any weakening or reversal of current appropriations riders on abortion."

"Second, no lawmaker or Administration can support such a policy change and still claim to support 'reducing abortions.' The evidence is overwhelming, and universally recognized by groups on all sides of the abortion issue, that the availability of public funds for abortion greatly increases abortions."

"Third, this action takes place as Congress is working to win broad support for a much-needed major reform of our health care system," Cardinal Rigali noted. "This is the worst of all possible times to be injecting the divisive issue of public abortion funding into the debate on government health policy."

Cardinal Rigali concluded by urging the full House Appropriations Committee to reverse the subcommittee's action and retain the funding ban in current law.

The full text of his letter is available here.

[wagglebee]

Cardinal Rigali said that the subcommittee's action "effectively nullifies the Dornan amendment," which for a total of 18 years has prevented public funding of elective abortions in the District. He said this move, "presumably the first step in a broader effort to restore such funding throughout the federal government,"

This is EXACTLY what Zero intends to do.

[wagglebee]

Pro-Life Ping

[wagglebee]

Ping for your lists.

[wagglebee]

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[La Lydia]

Like this bunch care what the Cardinal is telling them:

David Obey (Wis.), Chairman John Murtha (Pa.) Norm Dicks (Wash.) Alan Mollohan (W.Va.) Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) Peter Visclosky (Ind.) Nita Lowey (N.Y.) Jose Serrano (N.Y.) Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) Jim Moran (Va.) John Olver (Mass.) Ed Pastor (Ariz.) David Price (N.C.) Chet Edwards (Texas) Patrick Kennedy (R.I.) Maurice Hinchey (N.Y.) Lucille Roybal-Allard (Calif.) Sam Farr (Calif.) Jesse Jackson Jr. (Ill.) Carolyn Kilpatrick (Mich.) Allen Boyd (Fla.) Chaka Fattah (Pa.) Steven Rothman (N.J.) Sanford Bishop (Ga.) Marion Berry (Ark.) Barbara Lee (Calif.) Adam Schiff (Calif.)] Michael Honda (Calif.) Betty McCollum (Minn.) Steve Israel (N.Y.) Tim Ryan (Ohio) Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.) Ben Chandler (Ky.) Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) Ciro D. Rodriguez (Texas) Lincoln Davis (Tenn.) John Salazar (Colo.)

[dominic flandry]

You are correct but at least he took the time to write. I am sure there are about 200 bishops who could care less.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Public funding probably has little effect on the number of abortions, except perhaps among hard-core drug-addicted women. The biggest effect is most likely making the average stage at which abortions are performed significantly earlier. Many (if not most) late abortions are done late because the woman needed time to scrape the money together. Most will eventually get it, though, especially if they can track down the probable father and point out to him how much cheaper the abortion will be, than years of child support payments (or never being able to work at an above-board job, since the wages are traceable and garnishable).

[cpforlife.org]

Pro-Life PING

Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

Seen here at 24 weeks - six months from conception, the unborn child is covered with a fine, downy hair called lanugo. His tender skin is protected by a waxy substance called vernix. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed. The child practices breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid into developing lungs.

*his name is obozo, because he’s nothing more than a pathetic Marxist clown.

[notaliberal]

Let’s initiate a “Bash anything Catholic” forum

[Free State Four]

You want more of something, you subsidize it. If you want less of something, you tax it.

If The One We Have Been Waiting For were serious about reducing abortions, he would tax them, not subsidize them.

[Mrs. Don-o]

huh?

you might want to check your sources -— or better, link them

this is worth your glance—

http://www.lifenews.com/state4244.html

[Tribune7]

ping

[Victoria Delsoul]

Excellent points.

Well said Cardinal Rigali.