KCC Releases Statement

Last night, by a vote of 219-212, the US House of Representatives passed the Senate health care reform bill opposed by the Catholic bishops and every major Pro-Life organization in America.

 

For decades, the Catholic Church has tirelessly encouraged our elected officials to reform America’s health care system in order to expand access to care. But the Church cannot support legislation that would expand access to abortion by opening the door to federal financing of abortion.

 

Yesterday, a handful of House members who had opposed the health care bill because of its abortion provisions reached an agreement with President Obama that they wrongly claimed would resolve those concerns through a promised executive order. There is again unanimity within the Pro-Life community that the executive order will in fact be entirely insufficient to the task.

 

It is expected that President Obama will sign the bill tomorrow. In the meantime, the US Senate will debate separate legislation under the filibuster-proof reconciliation process in order to make adjustments to the approved bill. None of those adjustments, nor the executive order, will change the fact that Congress has just passed perhaps the most significant expansion of access to abortion in the 37 years since Roe v. Wade.