The following comes from a Nov. 20 story on the Catholic News Agency site.
The U.S. bishops are imploring Congress to enact stronger medical conscience protections against state abortion laws by passing the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act.
“We want to underscore the increasingly urgent need for Congress to protect rights of conscience with regard to the taking of innocent human life,” Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore and Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston stated in a letter to all members of Congress.
Archbishop Lori chairs the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty and Cardinal O’Malley heads the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
“Government should not force hospitals, doctors, nurses and other providers to stop offering or covering much-needed legitimate health care because they cannot in conscience participate in destroying a developing human life,” the prelates told U.S. lawmakers.
The Abortion Non-Discrimination Act would strengthen the rights of those persons or institutions facing legal action over their refusal in conscience to perform abortions.
The bishops gave multiple examples of parties being coerced by authorities to perform abortions or pay for abortion coverage. Most recently, the state of California forced two Catholic colleges to include abortion coverage in employee health plans, in a move that Bishop Robert McElroy, the auxiliary bishop of San Francisco, called “coercive” and “discriminatory” and that “directly targeted” Catholic universities.
In such cases, aggrieved individuals or groups may file a complaint with the HHS Office of Civil Rights. A legal provision known as the Weldon Amendment prohibits governmental bodies receiving federal funds from discriminating against individuals who choose not to partake in abortions out of conscience.
However, the bishops argued that this protection is not enough because it doesn’t explicitly guarantee the rights of persons to defend themselves in court. In addition, the U.S. bishops’ conference has argued that when complaints are filed with the HHS, the agency has sometimes downplayed the importance of such cases or “has been the perpetrator of the discrimination.”
For instance, a New York nurse had to wait until 2013 for her complaint to be resolved by HHS after she had to help with a “gruesome dismemberment” of a 22 week-old in 2009, the conference said.
“ANDA would make more effective and permanent the protections of the Weldon conscience amendment,” the bishops’ conference has stated.
The Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 was introduced in the Senate but never received a vote. In the House, it was attached to an appropriations bill for 2013 but was not made law, as government funding was enacted through a Continuing Resolution.
In discussing conscience protections in medicine, the bishops’ conference has warned that many pro-life doctors could walk rather than violate their consciences to obey abortion mandates, ultimately harming patients.
“If a doctor is told he must perform abortions, he is being ordered to violate his deepest convictions in order to keep practicing medicine – even though the Hippocratic oath that has formed the basis for medical ethics for many centuries rejects abortion,” the conference said in an October informational form.
“If these medical professionals are forced out of medicine, millions of pro-life Americans will lose their right to receive care from healers who respect and share their moral convictions about the life-affirming purpose of medicine.”
To read the original story, click here.
Now that we have a Republican congress, no thanks to the Catholic hierarchy of the United States, there probably WILL be provisions for pro life doctors. As usual, regarding the bishops, it is too little and too late and they are doing this just to look good.
Finally, the USCCB does something useful and Catholic (or at least starts something positive and in keeping their mission). Congress now (or in January) will have the power to do many things to aid life and to protect those with religious scruples.
One hopes and prays that the USCCB puts the pedal down on efforts to (1) stop public funding of all abortions, (2) stop public funding of all contraception, (3) make such changes apply to policies now attached to funding to overseas countries (thanks to that harridan Hillary Clinton), (4) stop all funding for expressions of support for homosexual marriage and any homosexual “couple” benefits, and (5) focus any public funding to the Church as limited to supporting Catholic organizations that target achievement of specific goals, not in any general way. (The Church must not be seen as another government agency, which is increasingly the case.)
This rings somewhat hollow.
While the bishops consort with the Left (DEMs), thye meekly ask for a little Catholic legislation?
Can you see Gov Jerry Brown listening to the bishops or Planned Parenthood?
Can you see Obama listening to the bishops or Planned Parenthood when it comes to signing or vetoing bills?
JOHN, the President has in fact listened to bishops in the revisions he has made in the execution of the ACA. He has made accommodation after accommodation for the bishops. He listened to the bishops when he took executive action last week on immigration. He listens to bishops and people of faith all the time, it’s just that he gets no credit for it.
YFC writes, “He listened to the bishops when he took executive action last week on immigration.” = Spoken like a dedicated community organizer of evil and chaos about Obama’s dedicated community organizing of evil and chaos. More pathological lying from both of you.
“IF YOU LIKE YOUR PRESENT DOCTOR YOU CAN KEEP YOUR SAME DOCTOR”
Pathological lying
From Wikipedia,
“In psychiatry, pathological lying (also called compulsive lying, pseudologia fantastica and mythomania) is a behavior of habitual or compulsive lying.[1][2] It was first described in the medical literature in 1891 by Anton Delbrueck.[2] Although it is a controversial topic,[2] pathological lying has been defined as “falsification entirely disproportionate to any discernible end in view, may be extensive and very complicated, and may manifest over a period of years or even a lifetime”.[1] The individual may be aware they are lying, or may believe they are telling the truth, being unaware that they are relating fantasies.”
Catherine I have not lied.
Actually, “Your Fellow Catholic”, you completely failed to tell the truth about Obama and his shameful relationship with the Catholic Church. Just take a look at the way that the Administration treated the Little Sisters of the Poor, requiring the squandering of their funds to litigate against a simply devilish strategy imposed by the Government.
Lying, deceitful, dissembling, and, frankly, incompetent (except for the inspiration and intellectual firepower provided by Satan), the Obama Administration is now facing oral argument in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals on December 8, 2014. Over 400 ministries have joined with the Little Sisters in their true David v. Goliath battle with HHS. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has done a fine job here; please review the case and the briefings at https://www.becketfund.org.
Your comment, YFC, is beyond odious. You are merely a mouthpiece for evil. The Obama Administration is overtly anti-religious, and wants nothing more, it seems, than an atheist America, run by the Democratic Party. It is all about power, and never principle. Remember that Saul Alinsky, in “Rules for Radicals” — beloved of the Democrats — dedicated his book to Lucifer. Obama’s kind of guy!
Perhaps you forget that Obama modified the execution of ACA at the behest of the Bishops, and in so doing provided a simple form for religious communities to opt out of providing health care that includes family planning services. But signing a form seems to be against the little sister’s ideas of religious liberty. Really, signing a form? Nuns are not above the law, and i don’t think that declaring what you are not going to do violates anyone’s religious liberties.
No Catholic (or other person of good will) should have to financially support ANY Intrinsic Evil – such as ABORTION, CONTRACEPTION, EUTHANASIA, VOLUNTARY STERILIZATION.
(Not merely Churches.)
NEXT Obama did NOT give in to the Bishops, until after Obama and ERIC HOLDER LOST the Hobby Lobby Case.
So yes, you are a liar YFC trying mask the fact that Obama is not trying to work with anyone who does not accept his ideology.
He only goes against his murderous ideology when he is absolutely forced to.
YFC – Obama does what will further Obama’s political goals ONLY.
He does not give two hoots about Jesus, the Catholic Church, or Christians in general.
Listen in Obama’s words (short video) what Obama thinks about Jesus’s sermon on the Mount.
“Obama Mocks & Attacks Jesus Christ And The Bible” –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi-V_ilJu0w
If Obama cared about anyone or anything other than his own political goals, he would not support ABORTION (murder of the innocent) – not only in the USA but world-wide.
Obama is USER. He uses Bishops who do not adhere to the Catholic Faith fully.
(Those Bishops who aid and abet, and encourage the breaking of laws. And this includes immigration laws.)
The Migration Committee of the USCCB only consists of a handful of Bishops – those who definitely do not promote the reading of Holy Scripture and the CCC within their own Diocese. I have checked the Diocese web sites of each of them. You are welcome to do the same.
“Your Fellow Catholic”: See the post of 11/26 @ 9:35 am. The Becket Fund explains why signing the form is wrong; it is No. 10 of their Q&A regarding the case (which follows):
“(10) Didn’t the government announce some kind of “accommodation” for religious non-profits?
Yes, but the law still forces the Little Sisters to participate in providing access to the drugs and treats the Little Sisters as second-class citizens.
First, the government has refused to simply exempt the Little Sisters—even though it exempts churches and other religious organizations. That is wrong—the Little Sisters should receive the same exemption churches do.
Second, the so-called “accommodation” still forces the Little Sisters to find an insurer who will cover sterilization, contraceptive and abortion-inducing drugs and devices, and will provide related counseling and education to promote those things. The Sisters would also be required to sign a form that triggers the start of that coverage. In good conscience, they can’t do that. So the “accommodation” still violates their religious beliefs.”
Of course, “YFC”, it is not likely that you did any research regarding the issue you raised; maintaining “willful ignorance” can be a sin, so be careful! You simply refuse to recognize people of Faith, that will not do one thing — even one — to accommodate an evil government request. Remember that the Romans only wanted the Jews and early Christians to put one pinch of incense into the brazier for their gods; only one. People of Faith know where their true allegiance must go The Little Sisters are people of Faith; the government (in America) has no independent power, it comes from the People. Try reading the First Amendment, among other things.
Obama listens to the bishops ONLY when it suits his fancy. This champion of being the community organizer par excellence will stop at nothing to get his devious and demonic ideas passed into law. And the bishops are stooges for letting him lead them around as he does.
Obama does not listen to any Bishops.
Obama USES those Bishops stupid enough to fall into his web of deceit, and complete Obama’s own goals.