"We strongly urge you to incorporate ANDA into must-pass funding legislation at your earliest possible opportunity" (Archbishop Lori and Cardinal O'Malley, 11/17/14)

Let's not miss the significance of this letter from the USCCB....

 

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference has an "Action Alert," by which you can contact Fitzpatrick, Toomey, and Casey on this matter....

 

What is the letter's (highlighting added) significance?

• "the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging Congress to include language in 'must-pass funding legislation' that would prevent people from being forced to act against their religious beliefs in buying or providing health insurance plans that cover abortion.
  
   "IF such language is including [sic] in a 'must-pass funding legislation'--i.e. the upcoming CR that must be passed by Dec. 11 to keep the government funded--President Obama would need to choose between signing the bill, and protecting people from being forced to buy insurance plans covering abortion, or veto the bill and shut down the government....
  
  "The lame-duck session of Congress must pass legislation by Dec. 11 to keep the government funded because the current CR expires on that date.
  
  "Since all spending bills originate in the House, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) could, if he chose to do so, incorporate the language the bishops suggest into any funding bill the House passes.
  
  "If the next CR is a short-term one, funding the government only into early next year when the Republicans will take control of the Senate, new-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would be in a position to work with Speaker Boehner in following through on the on the bishops' request.
  
  "But whether the GOP leadership actually does so remains to be seen....
  
  "In September 2013, Archbishop Lori and Cardinal O’Malley asked the House to add language from the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HR 940) to 'the upcoming legislative proposals to fund the federal government' that would nullify the Obamacare sterilization contraception abortifacient mandate and protect the conscience rights of health-care workers.
  
  
  
  "However, the Republican-controlled House under Boehner passed the CR without the language the bishops requested, thereby fully funding Obamacare without the religious exemptions they requested.
  
  "CNSNews.com asked the USCCB by e-mail if Archbishop Lori and Cardinal O'Malley still 'stand by the request they had in their September 26, 2013 letter to Congress in which they urged Congress to incorporate the policy of the Health Care Conscience Rights Act into must-pass legislation.'
  
  "Richard M. Doerflinger, the secretariat of pro-life activities for the USCCB, responded that “legislation that has been introduced separately (many times, beginning in 2002) as the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act is also a large part of the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HR 940).
  
  "'There is special urgency to addressing that part of HR 940 as soon as possible, as California has already begun demanding that many religious organizations including churches cover unlimited elective abortions for all their employees.
  
  “'The other issue in HR 940, addressing the HHS contraceptive mandate, is likely to come up in the new Congress as part of a broader discussion of the Affordable Care Act, and is also working its way through the federal courts,' he added.
  
  “'We will continue to work on both these issues, which have sometimes been introduced as parts of one bill and sometimes as separate proposals depending on circumstances.'" (CNSnews.com, 11/20/14).