For years, pro-choice Catholic politicians have been arguing that their conscience must be the deciding factor in their decision making. (See Nancy Pelosi among others) And they say they’re not going to bullied by all those old men in Rome telling them what to do.

They say they pray, consult the Good Book, read Augustine, and talk to selected bishops who agree with them, and they argue they must be allowed the freedom to follow their conscience on issues of conscience like abortion and birth control.

For years we’ve heard Catholic politicians argue that although they themselves are vehemently pro-life they can’t be expected to force their “particular faith tradition” on others.

Well it turns out that they’re quite willing to force their own views on others. Except their views include paying for the killing of babies. And it turns out they don’t want to listen to others because they actually just want to tell people what to do.

Catholic Key reports that many Catholic politicians just voted down conscience protection:

Far more disturbing was a later vote by the same margin denying conscience protection to doctors, health care facilities and hospitals which refuse to perform abortions. Thirteen Senators, including Catholics John Kerry, Maria Cantwell and Robert Menendez, voted against a second Hatch Amendment which would have protected Catholics and other conscientious objectors to abortion from discrimination by the Federal Government…

None of the Senators who voted for both amendments are Catholic. The margin was three votes – the same number of Catholic members of the committee who voted against both amendments – proving once again that on balance, it would be better for the unborn and for the interests of the Catholic Church if Catholics were barred from public office.

For the record, here is the conscience protection amendment they voted against:

Non-Discrimination on abortion and respect for rights of conscience
(a) NON DISCRIMINATION.-A Federal agency or program, and any State or
local government that receives Federal financial assistance under this Act ( or and amendment made by this Act), may not-
1) subject any individual or institutional health care entity to
discrimination, or
2) require any health plan created or regulated under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act), to subject any individual or institutional health care entity to discrimination, on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.
(b) DEFINITON.-In this section, the term “health care entity” includes an individual physician or other health care professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan.
(c) ADMINISTRATION.-The Office for Civil Right of the Department of Heath and Human Services is designated to receive complaints of discrimination based on this section, and coordinate the investigation of such complaints.

So all this talk of conscience is all a lie. (No shock there) All that talk about being personally pro-life but unable to force their views on others is just a lie. Anytime a Catholic politician says that in the future ask them about conscience protection.

I think we’ll all find that they don’t necessarily care about your ability to follow your conscience, they only care that you are forced to follow theirs.