Prelates urge congressional support for Conscience Protection Act
April 05, 2016
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore have called upon members of the House of Representatives to support the Conscience Protection Act of 2016, which has been introduced by Reps. John Fleming (R-LA) and Vicky Hartzler (R-MO).
Cardinal Dolan is chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Archbishop Lori chairs the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.
The bill, they said, will “ensure that those providing much-needed health care and health coverage can continue to do so without being forced by government to help destroy innocent unborn children.”
“While existing federal laws already protect conscientious objection to abortion in theory, this protection has not proved effective in practice,” they added. “The Conscience Protection Act will address the deficiencies that block effective enforcement of existing laws, most notably by establishing a private right of action allowing victims of discrimination to defend their own rights in court.”
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Further information:
- Cardinal Dolan And Archbishop Lori To Congress: Support The Conscience Protection Act (USCCB)
- Full text of letter (USCCB)
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Posted by: unum -
Apr. 06, 2016 9:34 AM ET USA
Cardinal Dolan and Archbishop Lori actions would be more effective if they called upon the Catholic laity to storm their elected representatives in Congress to act instead of just two lonely voices in the institutional Church. The Catholic laity has thousands of God-given talents that can form a loud, effective voice for the Church. The clergy regularly fails to use these talents because of hubris, ignorance, or both!
