Dear Directors:
Last Friday was a very dark day in our nation as the House of Representatives voted, 218 to 211, to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, H.R. 3755. This bill would impose abortion on demand nationwide at any stage of pregnancy through federal statute and would eliminate pro-life laws at every level of government -- including parental notification for minor girls, informed consent, and health or safety protections specific to abortion facilities. H.R. 3755 also would compel all Americans to support abortions here and abroad with their tax dollars and would also likely force health care providers and professionals to perform, assist in, and/or refer for abortion against their deeply-held beliefs, as well as force employers and insurers to cover or pay for abortion.
Of those present, all but one House Democrat voted in favor of the bill and all House Republicans voted against. The single House Democrat to vote against the bill was Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas.
In his statement responding to this vote, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called this deceptively-named bill “the most extreme pro-abortion bill our nation has ever seen.” “[It] assumes that abortion can be the only, or best, solution to a crisis pregnancy…[and] is built on a false and despairing narrative that utterly fails women.”
The House of Representatives passage of this bill is extremely grave: there are now 218 Members of Congress officially on record in support of the most radical abortion on demand bill our nation has ever seen. You can see how your representative voted here. This bill will not pass the Senate due to the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster, and therefore this will not become law during this Congress. Nonetheless, passage in the House is a truly dark outcome.
Archbishop Naumann is writing to his brother bishops proposing that this extraordinary action by Congress deserves an extraordinary response by every bishop. In particular, he is respectfully urging all bishops to contact their representative(s) (by letter, phone call, or in person) and either express their deep disappointment or gratitude depending upon how he/she voted. We urge all DPLDs and SCCDs to do likewise.
In addition, we believe it is likely that the Senate will also vote on this bill in the future. So, if you haven’t already, we urge you to contact your two Senators to strongly urge their opposition to the Senate version of this bill (S. 1975) should it come up for a vote.
Please also watch for and share an action alert we’ll send out soon urging all Catholics to communicate with their representatives in response to this vote.
As always, we are grateful for any action you can take on this matter and for all you do to proclaim the Gospel of Life. Please also join us in praying that our nation and its leaders will fully embrace this Gospel.
