Wow! This is big news. For months the bishops have been threatening to oppose the healthcare legislation as long as it included abortion funding. But I didn’t expect this. Wonderful news. Catholic.org reports:
An E-mail directive has been sent from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Activities Secretariat mobilizing every parish in the United States of America. It contains an urgent message which is to be distributed in every parish this weekend and announced at every single Mass. This massive and urgent appeal may be unprecedented in our history as Catholics in America. It is an effort to mobilize the Catholic faithful on an urgent matter of public policy concerning the fundamental and foundational human right to life.
The E-Mail specifically asks that no parish opt out of this initiative.
The bishops are urging all parishes to insert a document into all parish bulletins across the country. The pdf of the file is here.
The text reads:USCCB NATIONWIDE BULLETIN INSERT
Tell 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 committee approved 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!
There’s a lot more at Catholic.org
Update: It’ll be interesting to see how this might affect the vote of some Catholic Senators who ran on a pro-life platform like Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey Jr. I just called Senator Casey’s D.C. office but nobody answered the phone. The message said it’s due to “extremely high call volume.” Ha. Good.
Update II: Jack Smith at Catholic Key has lots of info on this as well.
October 29, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Wow! Good for them!!! Kudos.
October 29, 2009 at 9:00 pm
After we contact Congress and they blithely disregard the Church's objections, what next?
Are the bishops going to "grow a set" and start advocating civil disobedience? Will we be organizing a very public display of Catholic displeasure?
Or will the USCCB just tuck their tails in and meekly shut up?
October 29, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Amen, Subvet.
I'm beginning to think that the only way to win this is when Catholics (and hopefully Protestants) decide to quit participating in society.
We're hanging our pro-lifers out to dry far too often. I've got a friend who's a pro-life pharmacist here in Wisconsin where pharmacists are required to dispense the morning after pill. He dispenses to keep his job.
While I think he should sacrifice his job to do the right thing here, the fact remains that if he stands firm in his belief and gets canned, they simply replace him with someone who will do the job.
If EVERY faithful, pro-life pharmacist stands firm, we've got a different situation. Without the sort of solidarity that brought down the USSR, I don't think we can win. And not only are the Bishops equipped to lead this, they are the ONLY group that would be able to lead.
October 29, 2009 at 11:30 pm
It's commendable that the bishops are doing this; and I signed their email notifications at their site. But here in Illinois our nominally Catholic and Democratic U.S. Senator, Richard Durbin, proudly and contempuously wallows in his pro-abortion stance. He'll pay attention to Catolic teaching as soon as fish jog and pigs fly.
And Francis Cardinal George, God bless him, is a dear and a good man but lacking in that Thomas More/John Fisher quality of spinal stiffness in the face of unrelenting evil coming mainly, but not entirely, from the Democratio Party and its Catholic politicians. One only has to look at Chicago's mayor to see a major Catholic Democrat who has hocked his soul to the Infernal Pawnbroker for a bunch of votes and endorsements.
October 29, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Why wait until Sunday? I just went to the USCCB site and sent emails to my reps. Thanks for the info.
October 30, 2009 at 12:38 am
10 bucks says I don't see this in my bulletin. The one faithful priest we have (29 years old) will probably speak about it if he has been informed. The others will not.
October 30, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I imagine this insert will be eerily absent in our parish bulletin.
October 31, 2009 at 3:18 am
Ladies and Gents, if you feel this insert may be absent in your church bulletin, then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE simply download the PDF, print about 50 or so out and hand them out yourself.
My parish has very few US citizens, but I will be bringing my copies nonetheless.
October 31, 2009 at 4:07 am
YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! The USCCB are starting to move forward as courageous leaders! Praise God!
October 31, 2009 at 7:20 am
The insert is not going to be distributed in some parishes? I believe it. Some pastors do not want to speak out about this topic – probably to not alienate the pro-"choice" enlightened elites (snark). I know a parish that had someone from the "Priests for Life" talk plainly about the evil of abortion. It is what it is. But why is it so?
November 1, 2009 at 2:00 am
An update: I called my parish this morning and spoke to the parish secretary who had no idea about this document. I said I could email it to him if he'd like, to which he said if it came from the USCCB then they would get it from the office of the Archdiocese and act accordingly. In other words, they won't get it by tomorrow (if at all) since our archbishop is unfortunately more concerned about giving communion to "trannies" than protecting the unborn. So, as per my post above, I and my family will definitely be distributing these on cars before and after mass. I would urge everyone else to do the same just in case.