The USCCB added it is "communicating to Congress its strong opposition to any taxpayer funding of abortion as part of this legislation," and is urging Catholics and pro-life Americans to do the same.
"Your voice is critically needed today to tell your representatives in Congress to support amendments that prevent abortion funding and to work for their inclusion in the final bill," the conference stated.
In a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said she and some of her fellow Republican lawmakers are attempting to include the pro-life protections in the bill, "to FIX this to reflect Congress's long bipartisan history of supporting Hyde."
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The congresswoman's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, also argued that the Hyde protections should be included in the final bill.
"At a time when our country is mourning the deaths of 500,000 Americans, very little (less than 10%) of the misnamed COVID relief package actually goes towards combatting the pandemic," Mancini said in a written statement. "Instead, pro-abortion Democrats are using this bill to push through billions of dollars in subsidies for abortions, not only here in the U.S. but also abroad."