HR 358, Pa Senate Bill 3, & Pa Senate Bill 732

This email update contains information from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. I hope and pray that you will share this information with your parishioners.....

HOW PA'S DELEGATION TO THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTED ON HR 358, THE PROTECT LIFE ACT

Voting NO:
•Representative Robert A. Brady (D - 01)
•Representative Mike Doyle (D - 14)
•Representative Chaka Fattah (D - 02)
•Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz (D - 13)

Voting YES (Bravo Bravissimo!):
•Representative Jason Altmire (D - 04)
•Representative Louis J. (Lou) Barletta (R - 11)
•Representative Mark S. Critz (D - 12)
•Representative Charlie Dent (R - 15)
•Representative Mike Fitzpatrick (R - 08)
•Representative Jim Gerlach (R - 06)
•Representative Tim Holden (D - 17)
•Representative Mike Kelly (R - 03)
•Representative Tom Marino (R - 10)
•Representative Patrick Meehan (R - 07)
•Representative Tim Murphy (R - 18)
•Representative Joe Pitts (R - 16)
•Representative Todd Platts (R - 19)
•Representative Bill Shuster (R - 09)
•Representative Glenn (GT) Thompson (R - 05)

• "'By passing the Protect Life Act, the House has taken an important step toward authentic health care reform that respects the dignity of all, from conception onward,' Deirdre McQuade, USCCB pro-life spokeswoman, said....'Now that the House has acted, it’s the Senate’s turn to help make health care reform life-affirming,' McQuade said'" (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 10/14/11).

ON THE STATE LEVEL

• Senate Bill 3: As per the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") requires states "to operate and maintain 'health insurance exchanges' to provide a menu of low cost, government subsidized insurance plans to help otherwise uninsured people get access to necessary health care....To assure that elective abortion is not included in the Pennsylvania exchange, the Commonwealth must affirmatively opt out by passing a state law....This legislation is critical if the Commonwealth is to prevent public dollars from being spent on a program which includes elective abortion coverage."

Please ask Representative Mike Turzai (110 Main Capitol, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2028; 717-772-9043; mturzai@pahouse.com) to schedule a vote on Senate Bill 3, ASAP.

• Senate Bill 732: As per the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, this "would hold freestanding abortion clinics to the same fire and safety standards, personnel and equipment requirements and quality assurance procedures as other freestanding ambulatory surgical facilities. Currently, the state’s abortion industry is exempt from commonsense safety standards that apply to other surgery centers."

SB 732 is expected to come before the House this Tuesday. It needs to pass without any weakening amendments.