Bishop Chairmen Call on U.S. Senate to Retain Pro-Life Budget Provisions

Last week, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of several spending bills which exclude longstanding and bipartisan provisions, such as the Hyde and Weldon Amendments, that prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement criticizing the move, calling it a “radical departure from the will of the American people and the principle of justice for all.” While the bishops recognized that the spending bills included many provisions to help the vulnerable, they stated that such support “must also extend to our vulnerable brothers and sisters in the womb.”

The full statement, along with the bishops’ past statements on pro-life protections in appropriations bills, can be found on the USCCB website.