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Massachusetts Bishops ask Catholics to oppose two proposed radical abortion bills

Jan 20, 2020

By Dave Andrusko

As NRL News Today reported previously, citizens in Massachusetts are facing the challenge of the same kind of radical New York-style abortion bill passed into law almost exactly one year ago. Only instead of calling it the “Reproductive Health Act,” there are two bills (House Bill 3320 and Senate Bill 1209) that share the acronym ROE.

It’d be difficult to overstate just how far reaching “An act removing obstacles and expanding access to women’s reproductive health,” and “An act to remove obstacles and expand abortion access” actually are.

To name just a couple of the components–it eliminates the parental consent requirement; there will be no legal protection for abortion survivors; and ROE will expand taxpayer funding of abortion in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Pilot is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston. In a story that appeared today Jacqueline Tetrault explained that the Massachusetts Catholic Conference is asking Catholics to weigh in against the bills.

The MCC is distributing a bulletin insert for pastors to include in their parish bulletins the weekend of Jan. 19. The one-page insert provides information about two proposed bills being considered by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary at the Massachusetts State House, as well as instructions for how to contact legislators to encourage them to oppose this legislation.

Last April, four Massachusetts bishops released a statement in opposition. “The supporters of these bills argue the proposed changes to Massachusetts law are simply intended to protect a woman’s right to an abortion in the event the United States Supreme Court overturns the 1973 decision in the case of Roe v. Wade,” Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston, Worcester Bishop Robert McManus, Springfield Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, and Fall River Bishop Edgar da Cunha wrote. “However, in reality, these bills would create a significant expansion of current Massachusetts state law.”

According to Tetrault, along with the conference’s insert, Cardinal O’Malley is releasing a letter of his own for pastors in the Archdiocese of Boston to include in their parish bulletins.”The cardinal is also asking that his letter be read aloud from the pulpit at the end of each Mass celebrated during the weekend of Jan. 19.”

In his letter Cardinal O’Malley wrote, “With your help and the help of your family, friends, and neighbors, we must make every effort to ensure that these bills do not become law in Massachusetts. Your voice and the voices of all opposed to unprecedented expansion of abortion will make a difference. It is of critical importance that the women and men who represent us in the Legislature know where we stand on the protection of life.”

Editor’s note. If you want to peruse stories all day long, go directly to nationalrighttolifenews.org and/or follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/daveha.

Categories: Legislation
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