The
bishops of the United States are gravely disappointed that the 2016 omnibus
funding bill did not include the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA). While the omnibus bill certainly addresses
other critical issues, the modest reform that ANDA represents — to make
federal conscience laws on abortion workable and enforceable — was an urgent
legislative priority in these final months of the year.

Many
Catholic and other institutions, including those that provide health care and
other human services to the poor and vulnerable, have joined in our support of
ANDA. Without ANDA, these caring
organizations face legal threats to their very existence, as they lack clear
and enforceable protection for their freedom to serve the needy in accord with
their deepest moral convictions on respect for human life. Such threats to conscience also pose a threat
to the most marginalized and vulnerable in our society–the poor and the sick,
as well as the unborn.

I am deeply concerned that a foundational
principle that has received long-standing, bipartisan support in the past has
suddenly become partisan. No one should
be forced by the government to actively participate in what they believe to be
the taking of an innocent life. This is not about “access” to abortion. The
principle at stake is whether people of faith and others who oppose abortion
and abortion coverage should be compelled to participate in them. Federal law
has long supported the rights of conscientious objection, and even in recent
years, President Obama and many members of Congress have publicly declared
their support for these existing laws. ANDA merely sought to give them a more
consistent means of enforcement.

Despite
this, ANDA was caught in the partisan polarization gripping Washington. To
those who supported ANDA, we offer our gratitude and applaud your commitment to
maintaining our national consensus in support of conscience protection. To those who opposed ANDA, we urge you, in
the strongest possible terms, to reconsider your position, which stands in
opposition to even the modest enforcement of a venerable principle that is
rooted in the constitution and has long enjoyed broad, bipartisan support.

We
join Pope Francis in “call[ing] for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation,
which has accomplished so much good throughout the history of the United
States,” a cooperation that must be undertaken “with respect for our
differences and our convictions of conscience.”
[Address to Congress, Sept.
24, 2015] We call upon our elected officials
to rise above partisan divisions and to renew their support for this most basic
right. ANDA should be enacted as soon as possible. Without it, current federal
conscience laws are, now for the first time, being enforced erratically or not
at all in places such as California.

The
mission of the Church in the public square is to witness to the dignity of
every human life and advocate for the freedom to act in accord with one’s moral
and religious convictions in defense of those lives, no matter how young or
vulnerable. We will continue to reach out to the White House and Congressional
leaders untiringly until proper protections are guaranteed.

Keywords:
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, President, USCCB, U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops, ANDA, conscience, pro-life, religious liberty

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MEDIA CONTACT
James
L. Rogers
O:
202-541-3201

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops