UPDATES: Two updates to the original story (below) have been released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This information was released late in the day on July 29.
U.S. Bishops’ chairmen respond to House vote to force taxpayers to fund elective abortions
On July 29, the House voted 219-208 in favor of HR 4502, a package of appropriations bills that currently excludes the 46-year-old Hyde Amendment and other longstanding, bipartisan provisions like the Weldon Amendment. Eliminating these provisions would force taxpayers to pay for elective abortions and would have the effect of forcing health care providers and professionals to perform and refer for abortion against their deeply held beliefs, as well as forcing employers and insurers to cover and pay for abortion.
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement:
“The House has voted in a way that is completely out of step with the will of the American people who overwhelmingly oppose taxpayer-funded abortion. The Hyde Amendment has saved at least 2.4 million lives since its enactment. Without it, millions of poor women in desperate circumstances will make the irrevocable decision to take the government up on its offer to end the life of their child.
“To be certain, this bill includes provisions that help vulnerable people, including pregnant moms. As we have said before, ‘being “right” in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life.’ In truth, ‘the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the “rightness” of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community.’
“The injustice in HR 4502 extends to removing conscience protections and exemptions for healthcare providers who believe abortion is wrong, or whose faith drives them to serve and heal lives, instead of taking them.
“Funding the destruction of innocent unborn human lives, and forcing people to kill in violation of their consciences, are grave abuses of human rights. We call on the Senate to redress this evil in HR 4502, and for Congress to ultimately pass appropriations bills that fully support and protect human dignity, and the most vulnerable among us.”
This second update regarding a related development was released by the UCCB on July 30.
U.S. Bishops’ chairmen respond to House vote to force taxpayers to fund abortion overseas
On Wednesday evening, July 28, the House voted 217-212 in favor of HR 4373, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill. HR 4373 excludes the Helms Amendment, which says that “no foreign assistance funds may be used to pay for the performance of abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions.”
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, issued the following statement:
"By eliminating the Helms Amendment, HR 4373 could force recipient countries that have strong legal and cultural opposition to abortion to embrace it in order to receive desperately needed help for their people. Pope Francis has referred to this type of situation as ideological colonization. Moreover, this legislation pays for abortions and abortion advocacy with the hard-earned tax dollars of Americans -- 75% of whom say their tax dollars should not be used to pay for abortion overseas. While this legislation contains many positive provisions that provide assistance to the poor and vulnerable worldwide, including protection of refugees, increases to humanitarian assistance, and protection of the environment, nothing can justify subsidizing the taking of innocent human life.
“We call on the Senate to stand against the coercive pro-abortion policies of HR4373 and for Congress to ultimately pass appropriations bills that respect conscience and the lives of all the vulnerable, both here and abroad.”
(Below is the original story that was published earlier on July 29.)
As Congress works on drafting this year’s appropriations bill, efforts to retain restrictions on the federal funding of abortions that were established by the Hyde Amendment continue. The bill, named after Rep. Henry Hyde, has prevented federal funding of almost all abortions since its adoption in 1977.
Earlier this week, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, encouraged Catholics to lobby their legislators to prevent taxpayer-funded abortions.
He said the House Committee on Appropriations voted to push through four of the most extreme pro-abortion bills that take away pro-life policies that:
• Protect taxpayers from having to pay for elective abortions, both here and overseas.
• Protect health care providers from being forced to perform abortions or refer for abortions against their beliefs.
• Protect employers and insurance companies from being forced to pay for abortion.
The full House could begin voting on these bills as early as this week.
Given the makeup of Congress, the vote is expected to be very close, so pro-life advocates are encouraging constituents to mount a grassroots defense and lobby their Congressional representatives in order to retain the restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortion and other bills that take away pro-life policies.
A petition to stop taxpayer-funded abortion can be found here. More than 140,000 people had signed the petition by midday July 29.