Blog
Coalition Effort to Enact ANDA Immediately
July 21, 2011
The Catholic Medical Association joined a collaborative effort to ask Congress to enact the principles of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA) in the current legislative session by attaching its essential provisions to an appropriations bill.
This year, the House of Representatives has made impressive progress on cutting federal funding of abortion and strengthening conscience rights. Specifically, The Protect Life Act (HR 358) and The No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act (HR 3) have been approved by the House. Neither bill, however, has been taken up by the Senate, much less passed and signed into law.
In the meantime, attacks on conscience rights by the Obama administration have increased. The February decision of HHS to gut the Bush adminstration Conscience Protection Rule, combined with the very real possibility that HHS will mandate that all insurance companies and plans subsidize the full range of contraceptive options without co-pays, are the latest examples of an escalating attack on ethical and religious convictions.
The coalition, which includes the Catholic Medical Association, the Alliance of Catholic Health Care, the National Right to Life Committee, the Christian Medical Association, Americans United for Life Action, Concerned Women for America, and the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has asked that the essential provisions of ANDA be added to the appropriations rider for the Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor. These provisions would strengthen the current Hyde-Weldon Amendment by clarifying that Hyde-Weldon conscience protections apply to ALL governmental departments and agencies and by giving victims of discrimination the right to seek redress in courts of law.
Click the icon on the right to view the coalition's letter to Rep. Denny Rehberg, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations.
