A Biden-Harris government would promote a pro-abortion legislative agenda and could roll back conscience protections and civil liberties for Catholic organizations and medical providers.
Newsroom (September 14, 2020 Gaudium Press) — Two pro-life leaders spoke to CNA about what a return of the Democrats to the U.S. presidency would mean for their cause.
For example, Joseph Meaney, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, noted that former Vice President Biden reversed his support for the Hyde amendment, and with that new position “basically said that he was not going to take a pro-life position at all”. The Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of public money to finance abortions.
As CNA reports, ‘Biden has already signaled his intention to reinstitute Obama-era executive action which would remove conscience protections from religious organizations, like the Little Sisters of the Poor, requiring them to provide abortifacient drugs and sterilizations to their employees under health care plans.’
Mexico City Policy to be rescinded immediately
Meaney also affirmed that a Biden-Harris administration would quickly rescind the so-called Mexico City Policy, which prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for non-governmental organizations that perform abortions. This policy, in effect, since the Reagan administration is rescinded by every Democratic administration and reinstated by every Republican administration.
The reversal of the Mexico City policy is likely to occur on Biden’s very first day in the White House, noted Tom McClusky, president of the March for Life Action; if it is not rescinded within a week of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the ruling that introduced abortion into the U.S.
“The greatest impact will probably occur at [the Department of] Health and Human Services, particularly the office of civil rights,” Meaney said.
“The different laws that exist, the Weldon amendment, the Church amendments, are federal law, so they don’t change just because the president changes, so it’s more of a question of enforcement,” he alerted. The issue will be whether these laws are respected and enforced in a Democratic administration.
McClusky also anticipated an executive action preventing states from defunding Planned Parenthood, and weakening restrictions on the availability of chemical abortions. Planned Parenthood is a large multinational abortion company.
Meaney also recalled the Democratic campaign’s promise to make the Roe v. Wade decision into federal law; however, this requires legislative action and would take more time to implement. But the Biden administration would push the envelope to make this a reality.
With information from Catholic World Report
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