As the battle over the health-care reform bill intensified this week, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious sent a letter yesterday to every member of congress assuring them that “the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions” and that they, the LCWR, “as Catholics,” are “all for it.” Never mind that, as Catholics, they are in direct opposition to the statement released by Cardinal Francis George on behalf of the USCCB.
The LCWR claims more than 1500 religious superiors as members and represents more than 45,000 nuns across the United States, but they do not speak with as much authority as they’d like to suggest. Today, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious—the second largest organization of superiors in the United States—released their own letter making that quite clear.
March 18th, 2010 | 7:08 pm
so were does the truth lie? Will elective abortion be paid for or not? Perhaps a statement from Senator Reid and Representative Pelosi are in order regarding this matter.
March 18th, 2010 | 8:02 pm
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March 18th, 2010 | 9:06 pm
sorry, but this issue is not settled as there are statements that the Hyde amendment ‘that no federal funds be used for abortion” remains in the bill. Check the internet under “abortion and the health bill”.
March 18th, 2010 | 10:12 pm
That’s a pretty bland statement by Ms. Duke. The Catholic Church is going to the mat with the secular culture over the issue of abortion, and just at a climactic moment a bunch of self-styled “leader” nuns rears up and tries to pull the rug from under the bishops. How much farther can this situation deteriorate? If I were the bishops, and to save the Church, I’d put anyone connected to that betrayal under interdict–and make it stick. Draw a line in the sand now, so that Catholics at least can know who their friends are as the conflict deepens.
March 18th, 2010 | 11:15 pm
There is a very interesting interview on NPR between Robert Siegel and Professor Timothy Jost regarding this issue. It looks like the Bishops may not have their facts straight. If so, they need to rescind their own letter.
March 19th, 2010 | 9:48 am
Leaving aside the claims and counterclaims about what the health care proposal allows or does not allow, let me address the matter of the LCWR. I belong to a congregation affiliated with the LCWR. We elect leaders at the congregational level so they are not “self-styled.” On the other hand, when the LCWR takes a position on something, that doesn’t mean they’ve polled all the individual memebers of each affiliated congregation. I can assure you that many of us oppose the bill in its current form even though we very much want universal coverage and access.
March 19th, 2010 | 3:18 pm
In response to M. Gunderson:
I’ll take advice on the abortion issue from the USCCB. Dr. Jost seems to have been an active and public proponent for Obamacare and has suggested strategies for getting it passed. As such, it’s not surprising that NPR would have chosen him to interview on this issue. Did Mr. Siegel bother to invite someone on who might rebut Dr. Jost’s position?
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