Diane DeGette Blasted for Religious Discrimination, Says Abortion Debate Closed
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 17, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Colorado Rep. Diane DeGette, the head of the pro-abortion caucus in the House, is coming under fire for comments saying that religious groups should be shut off from participating in the abortion debate in Congress. Detractors say she is fostering an environment of religious discrimination.
In comments to The Hill, a magazine that covers Congress, DeGette essentially said religious groups should not be allowed to be part of the abortion debate.
"Last I heard, we had separation of church and state in this country," she said. "I’ve got to say that I think the Catholic bishops and all of the other groups shouldn’t have input."
That earned DeGette a critical rebuke from Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council. Perkins called on President Obama and Congressional leaders to repudiate her comments.
"DeGette’s comments are stunning," he told LifeNews.com.
"According to her, if a group of people are in association with one another because of their Christian faith, they should not have a voice in the crafting of public policy. What she is asserting is that if your ideas and actions are a product of your faith, you’re a second class citizen and your voice should not be heard," he said.
Perkins says DeGette is engaging in hypocrisy.
"In a speech given at her alma mater, Colorado College, she speaks of her involvement with the liberal Faith and Politics Institute," he said. "Apparently, in her view, it’s OK to be involved in politics and have religious faith – but only as long as you agree with her."
Perkins also said DeGette’s comments make it clear to him that the debate over abortion and health care is really about something else.
"DeGette’s comments serve to only further confirm that this takeover is not about health care, it is about a radical social policy in which the expansion of abortion, at taxpayer expense, is at the very center of this effort," he said.
"I call on President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Harry Reid to immediately repudiate this religious bigotry," he concluded, "and reaffirm the Constitutional right of all Americans including people of faith to participate in this critical debate."
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