Cardinal praises
conscience provi
in House appropriation tions bill is unknown at WASHINGTON (CNS) -this time, but agreement The chairman of the U.S. bishbetween the two houses ops’ Committee on Pro-Life of Congress is likely to be Activities praised lawmakers late fall or early winter at for including two conscience the earliest,” said a June 18 provisions in the House verstatement from Directors sion of the 2013 appropriations of Health Promotion and bill for the federal departments Education, a trade group. of Labor and Health and HuIn his July 17 letter, man Services. Cardinal DiNardo said “Our government has a long inclusion of the Aborhistory of respecting rights of tion Non-Discrimination conscience in health care, and Act “will provide urgently the time is long overdue to needed relief ” by codireaffirm this laudable tradition fying the Hyde-Weldon in the face of today’s growamendment, which has ing threats,” Cardinal Daniel been part of Labor-HHS N. DiNardo of GalvestonCardinal Daniel DiNardo, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee appropriations packages Houston said in a July 17 letsince 2004, and will enter to members of the House on Pro-Life Activities. hance “its enforceability” Subcommittee on Labor/HHS. Catholic News Service by closing loopholes and Cardinal DiNardo said the providing victims of discrimiprovision called the Abortion Nonreligious organizations to include nation with a “private right of action” Discrimination Act, which had 124 sterilizations and contraceptive coverto defend their rights in court. cosponsors from both parties, “will age—including those that could cause Currently, Hyde-Weldon “can only reaffirm the basic principle that no early abortions—in their employee be enforced by lodging a complaint health care entity should be forced by health care plans. with the Department of Health and government to perform, participate in The subcommittee was preparing Human Services, which in recent years or pay for abortions.” to mark up the appropriations bill has given a low priority to such claims The other provision is the Respect for eventual action by the House Apand sometimes has itself been the perfor Right of Conscience Act, which propriations Committee and then the petrator of discrimination,” Cardinal Cardinal DiNardo said would “counter full House. The Senate Appropriations DiNardo said. a policy that poses the most direct Committee had done its own markup, “Hyde-Weldon’s only stated penfederal threat to religious freedom first in subcommittee and then in full alty for violations is the denial of all in recent memory,” a reference to committee, June 12 and 14. Labor-HHS funds to a state or other the “HHS mandate” requiring most “The endgame for a final appropria-
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SOUTH TEX AS CATHOLIC | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2012
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