All Republicans voting for the Conscience Protection Act and virtually all Democrats against–was 245-182. This just shows how radically anti-life the Democratic Party has become. nationalrighttolifenews.org
“State agencies in California and New York are mandating insurance coverage of abortion, and the Obama Administration recently made it clear that it will not enforce federal laws that prohibit such mandates,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “The Conscience Protection Act will allow direct access to the federal courts for the victims of coercive pro-abortion government policies.”
The Obama Administration’s refusal to enforce the civil right of conscience is not only unfair and unjustified—it grossly violates the rule of law. It makes a mockery of President Obama’s 2009 Notre Dame speech in which he said ‘Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion.’ But he has not.
In an unconscionable abuse of power, for almost two years the state of California has forced all insurance plans under its purview—and the people and institutions that pay the premiums—to subsidize abortion on demand.
The Weldon federal conscience law authored by Congressman Dave Weldon of Florida and continuously in effect for over a decade—makes it explicit and comprehensively clear that California’s action is illegal.
Enforcement however is vested in the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and that’s the Achilles heel that needs to be fixed —and will be fixed by the Conscience Protection Act.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore have written members of Congress to urge passage of the “Conscience Protection Act of 2016,” citing recent cases in California, New York and Washington in which faith-based facilities have faced orders to provide abortions.