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Cardinal
Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chair of the Committee on
Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote
to members of the House Appropriations Committee yesterday urging them
not to fund abortions in the District of Columbia. Last week the House
subcommittee that is considering the Financial Services appropriations
bill for 2010 voted to permit direct public funding of abortion in the
nation's capital.
Cardinal Rigali said that the subcommittee's action "effectively
nullifies the Dornan amendment," which for a total of 18 years has
prevented public funding of elective abortions in the District. He said
this move, "presumably the first step in a broader effort to restore
such funding throughout the federal government," is misguided for three
reasons.
"First, he said, "public funding of abortion is rejected by the
American people, as numerous surveys of public opinion have shown." He
also noted that Catholics recently sent "tens of millions of postcards
to their elected representatives in Congress, opposing any
weakening
or reversal of current appropriations riders on abortion."
"Second, no lawmaker or Administration can support such a policy change
and still claim to support 'reducing abortions.' The evidence is
overwhelming, and universally recognized by groups on all sides of the
abortion issue, that the availability of public funds for abortion
greatly increases abortions."
"Third, this action takes place as Congress is working to win broad
support for a much-needed major reform of our health care system,"
Cardinal Rigali noted. "This is the worst of all possible times to be
injecting the divisive issue of public abortion funding into the debate
on government health policy."
Cardinal Rigali concluded by urging the full House Appropriations
Committee to reverse the subcommittee's action and retain the funding
ban in current law.
Click
here to read the full text of his letter.
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
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Date: July 1, 2009
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The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in
Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state
coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of
Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our
society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political
persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic
backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has
been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the
human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that
every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is
dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection
for the disabled and the elderly. Click here to learn more about the IFRL.
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