Posted on 10/30/2009 10:44:07 PM PDT by Salvation
The US bishops' conference is mounting a late drive to secure passage of a pro-life amendment to the health-care reform bill. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is asking pastors all across the country to include an insert in their weekly bulletins, urging parishioners to call their Congressional representatives and encourage a vote for a pro-life amendment. The USCCB's pro-life office has indicated that it will press bishops to promote the dissemination of these bulletin inserts. The insert exhorts parishioners to act immediately. "Congressional votes may take place as soon as early November," it notes.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers saw full-page ads from the USCCB in Hill publications, calling attention to the fact that 68% of Americans oppose subsidies for abortion coverage. "Abortion is not health care, because killing is not healing," the ads read. The ad states unequivocally that the bishops' conference will oppose any legislation that goes forward without an appropriate amendment:
The US bishops see health care as a human right. But if final legislation endangers immigrants, the poor, unborn children, and the conscience rights of health professionals, we will have no choice but to oppose the bill.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
Ask your pastor where this insert is if you don't see it.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 FOURTH STREET NE
WASHINGTON DC 20017-1194 202-541-3100 FAX 202-541-3166USCCB N
ATIONWIDE BULLETIN INSERTTell Congress: Remove Abortion Funding & Mandates from Needed Health Care Reform
Congress is preparing to debate health care reform legislation on the House and Senate floors.
Genuine health care reform should protect the life and dignity of all people from the moment of
conception until natural death. The U.S. bishops’ conference has concluded that all committeeapproved
bills are seriously deficient on the issues of abortion and conscience, and do not provide
adequate access to health care for immigrants and the poor. The bills will have to change or the
bishops have pledged to oppose them.
Our nation is at a crossroads. Policies adopted in health care reform will have an impact for good or
ill for years to come. None of the bills retains longstanding current policies against abortion funding
or abortion coverage mandates, and none fully protects conscience rights in health care.
As the U.S. bishops’ letter of October 8 states:
“No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion. It is essential that the
legislation clearly apply to this new program longstanding and widely supported federal
restrictions on abortion funding and mandates, and protections for rights of conscience.
No current bill meets this test…. If acceptable language in these areas cannot be found,
we will have to oppose the health care bill vigorously.”
For the full text of this letter and more information on proposed legislation and the bishops’ advocacy
for authentic health care reform, visit: www.usccb.org/healthcare.
Congressional leaders are attempting to put together final bills for floor consideration. Please contact
your Representative and Senators today and urge them to fix these bills with the pro-life amendments
noted below. Otherwise much needed health care reform will have to be opposed. Health care reform
should be about saving lives, not destroying them.
ACTION: Contact Members through e-mail, phone calls or FAX letters.
To send a pre-written, instant e-mail to Congress go to www.usccb.org/action.
Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Members’ local offices.
Full contact info can be found on Members’ web sites at www.house.gov & www.senate.gov.
MESSAGE to SENATE:
“During floor debate on the health care reform bill, please support an amendment to
incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights.
If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed.”
MESSAGE to HOUSE:
“Please support the Stupak Amendment that addresses essential pro-life concerns on abortion
funding and conscience rights in the health care reform bill. Help ensure that the Rule for the
bill allows a vote on this amendment. If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill
should be opposed.”
WHEN: Both House and Senate are preparing for floor votes now. Act today! Thank you!
sorry Bishops.....just go home.....you have no power since you left Catholic teachings behind....
How can a right be a product or service that somebody else is forced to give you?
I sure hope the Anglicans who are crossing the Tiber have the ability to think straight. It would be a welcome change.
Archbishop Charles Chaput on the Current Struggle Between Catholics and "Caesar"
The Bishop's Ax Falls on Obama. And on the Vatican Curia (bombshell article)
US Bishops: Heath Package Still Funding Abortions (Urge Congress to Keep Working)
Catholic Bishops Declare They Will ‘Vigorously’ Oppose Health Care Bill as It Now Stands
Bishops Restate Vow vs. Obamacare's Abortion
Important: US Bishops taking the gloves off on health care reform
BREAKING: Catholic Bishops On Health Care - Change Bills Or Else
U.S. bishops warn of vigorous opposition if Congress fails to fix health care bills
List: *41* Bishops against Obamacare (and counting!)
Bishop Murphy Issues Video Statement on Health Care Reform [Diocese of Rockville Centre]
Health Care Principles [Bishop Samuel Aquila, Fargo, ND]
Florida Bishop [Thomas Wenski] Weighs in on Health Care Reform
ObamaCare and Catholic social teaching [Bishop Neckless]
Some Catholic bishops question gov't health care
Boston’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Says He Confronted Obama about Abortion in Health Care Plan....
Iowa Bishop: Don’t Be Railroaded into the Current...Health Care Proposals
in a message issued by the Diocese of Sioux City (The Church on Universal Healthcare)
Nazi Health Care A Catholic Bishop Speaks Out Against "End of Life Care" (Germany, 1941)
Bishop Nickless: "No Health Care Reform is Better than the Wrong Health Care Reform"
Cardinal Rigali, Abp. Chaput Intensify Warnings Against Obamacare's Abortion Expansion
You are mistaken.
Catholics did not vote for Obama.
Catholics in Name Only (CINOs) voted for him.
The elderly and CINOs probably voted for Obama because he sounded like JFK.
I know many older people at my church who did NOT and would NOT vote for Obamanation. Perhaps others, but not these Catholics!
That’s commendable. I know of elderly who voted exactly for the reason I’ve mentioned. Sad but true.
I wonder how they are judging that vote right now??
Very sad, isn’t it?
I think this has been slow because it has probably been very hard to get agreement from the bishops on this one. Some of the older ones are very left wing and not very Catholic and I’m sure they fought this tooth and nail.
Other individual bishops have been quite good, rejecting the whole plan, but it depends on what diocese you live in, unfortunately.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.
Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment
Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”
Golly gee, do you suppose Nancy Pelosi will be denied communion when she next presents herself?
I sure like their tough stance!
Let us stop the whining it is better late than never.
*8I think this has been slow because it has probably been very hard to get agreement from the bishops on this one. **
Has it been slow for that reason, or was it because there really wasn’t a unified bill in the House (soon to come in the Senate) until this last week?
LOL! See my post to liviues above.
LOL! See my post to livius above.
The bulletin insert may be late, but the Bishops have been decrying this bill since before the summer. Our Associate Pastor mentioned it a couple of Sundays ago, when he gave an excellent pro-life homily.
Perhaps the bishops could have had more impact if they publicly excommunicated Nancy Pelosi for pushing the abortion agenda in the health care bill and threatening to do the same for any Catholic members of Congress who vote for the bill.
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