.- Two Republican leaders have replied to Cardinal Justin Rigali’s Feb. 5 letter on abortion policy in which the prelate urged that “extreme” pro-abortion rights measures be defeated and that pro-life provisions in appropriations bills be maintained.
The cardinal, who wrote the letter to each member of Congress in his capacity as Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Pro-Life Activities, had highlighted the postcard campaign calling for the defeat of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and any other similar measures.
U.S. House Republican Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, thanked Cardinal Rigali for his letter, saying:
“Despite the limitations of being in the minority, we are committed to working with our pro-life colleagues on both sides of the aisle to proactively defeat efforts to enact the so-called Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) or any similar measure. We are similarly committed to working to retain, and not weaken, laws that prohibit using federal funds for the purpose of promoting or funding promotion of abortion.”
They pledged to try to retain abortion funding restrictions like the Hyde Amendment, the Dickey/Wicker Amendment, the Hyde/Weldon Conscience Protection Amendment and the Kemp-Kasten Amendment.
The two Congressmen said they knew the Democratic majority desires to codify Roe v. Wade.
“We will not be caught off-guard by attempts to achieve this goal, whether directly or incrementally. We will, as Pope Benedict XVI exhorted during his apostolic visit to the United States last year, ‘proclaim the gift of life, to serve life, and promote a culture of life.’”
