WASHINGTON— Cardinal Timothy Dolan, chair of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities,
urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child
Protection Act (H.R. 36). It is expected to come to the House floor the first week
of October. The bill, introduced by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), proposes a ban on
abortions starting at 20 weeks after fertilization.
In a September 29 letter to the House, Cardinal
Dolan wrote, “All decent and humane people are repulsed by the callous and
barbarous treatment of women and children in clinics…that abort children after
20 weeks.”
“Planned Parenthood’s callous and disturbing
practices of harvesting fetal body parts from late-term abortions,
partial-birth abortions, and the deplorable actions of late-term abortionist
Dr. Kermit Gosnell…, have shocked our nation and led many Americans to realize
that our permissive laws and attitudes have allowed the abortion industry to
undertake these procedures,” Cardinal Dolan said, calling the 20-week ban a
“common-sense reform.”
The Cardinal offered reasons why “the proposed
ban on abortion at 20 weeks after fertilization is a place to begin uniting
Americans who see themselves as ‘pro-life’ and as ‘pro-choice’.” The first
centers on the expanding range of fetal ‘viability’. “The Supreme Court’s past
insistence that unborn children must be ‘viable’ to deserve even nominal
protection is not meaningful or workable…[M]edical technology is moving the
point of viability earlier in the pregnancy putting Roe on a collision course
with itself.” Second, there are life-threatening dangers to women undergoing
abortions beyond 20 weeks. Finally, addressing the proposal to perform
late-term abortions in “mainstream” clinics, he notes that those clinics
generally refuse to perform the risky procedures. “What does it say about us as
a nation, if we will not act against abortions that even full-time abortionists
find abhorrent?” Cardinal Dolan asked.
Cardinal Dolan reaffirmed the right to life of
humans at every stage of development, and clarified that the Church remains
committed to advocating for the full legal protection of all unborn children:
“[E]very child, from conception onward, deserves love and the protection of the
law…. [T]he real problems that lead women to consider abortion should be
addressed with solutions that support both mother and child.”
For the full text of
Cardinal Dolan’s letter to the House of Representatives, visit: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/upload/CdlDolan-HR36-House-Ltr-09-29-2017.pdf.
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