Catholic Bishop Blasts Pro-Life Democrat Bob Casey for Abortion Funding Vote
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 6, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Catholic Bishop Joseph F. Martino of the Diocese of Scranton is taking Sen. Bob Casey to task for voting to fund groups that promote and perform abortions overseas. The Pennsylvania senator is supposedly one of two pro-life Democrats in the Senate, but his vote betrayed any pro-life principles.
As LifeNews.com previously noted, Casey opposed an amendment to a Senate bill to restore the Mexico City Policy.
That’s the federal provision that makes it so taxpayers are not forced to fund groups that promote or perform abortions in other countries and it is a provision that pro-abortion President Barack Obama rescinded in his first week in office.
In a letter to the senator, Bishop Martino accuses Casey of “cooperating with … evil” by casting the pro-abortion vote.
In the letter, published in Thursday’s edition of The Catholic Light, the diocesan newspaper, he urges Casey to live up to his Catholic faith by voting to “oppose abortion."
Bishop Martino said Casey vote against the Mexico City Policy “will mean the deaths of thousands of unborn children" and reminded him that “this is an offense against life and a denial of our Catholic teaching on the dignity of every human being.”
Martino said Casey should reverse his vote because his “responsibilities as a Catholic … exceed even those of your office.”
“Your failure to reverse this vote will regrettably mean that you persist formally in cooperating with the evil brought about by this hideous and unnecessary policy,” he wrote. “As I have done several times before, I offer to make myself available to you to discuss the grave concerns that I raise here.”
Larry Smar, Casey’s spokesman, responded to the accusations that Casey has betrayed his pro-life views with the claim that the amendment did not regard direct funding for abortion and that Casey supports a current law prohibiting direct abortion funding abroad.
“Sen. Casey fully supports the Helms amendment, and its enforcement, and will continue to do so,” Smar said, according to the Citizens Voice newspaper.
The Mexico City Policy does not concern direct abortion funding but it does prevent taxpayer money from going to abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood and Marie Stopes International that would otherwise have to use their own funds to promote family planning efforts.
They money also funds abortion promotion efforts, whereby the two abortion businesses actively lobby nations with pro-life laws to legalize some or all abortions.
Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.
