Catholic Bishops Launch Newspaper Ads Attacking Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill

The nation's Catholic bishops have launched a slew of newspaper ads criticizing the pro-abortion Senate health care bill. Their renewed effort to defeat the legislation and its abortion funding and promotion comes as dissident Catholic groups are confusing House members into supporting the bill.

"Health care reform is about saving lives, not destroying them," the ad featuring a doctor and pregnant woman says.

Deirdre McQuade of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops tells LifeNews.com the ads are appearing today in the Washington Post, Politico, The Hill, Roll Call, CQ and Congress Daily AM -- all read by members of Congress.

"For over 30 years, the Hyde Amendment and other longstanding and widely supported laws have prevented federal funding of elective abortions," the ad says. "Yet the Senate health care reform bill violates this policy — and fails to protect the life, dignity and conscience of all."

"It will appropriate billions of dollars in new funds not covered by the Hyde Amendment, and subsidize health plans that make their enrollees pay for elective abortions," the ad continues. "Americans would be forced to subsidize other people’s abortions through their taxes and health insurance premiums."

"We need genuine health care reform — reform that helps save lives, not destroy them," the bishops say in the ad. "The U.S. bishops strongly oppose abortion funding and threats to conscience, and call for critical improvements in affordability for the poor and access to health care for immigrants."

Read the rest here.