Pro-Life Group Tags San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese on CCHD, Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 4, 2010
San Francisco, CA (LifeNews.com) — A pro-life group says the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Archdiocese of San Francisco continue to support an organization that promotes abortion. American Life League says neither should support the San Francisco Organizing Project.
In November, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development issued “For the Record – The Truth about CCHD Funding” in response to criticism that the group funds organizations that support abortion.
The document defends the San Francisco Organizing Project (SFOP) by saying, the "Archdiocese of San Francisco strongly supports the work of the SFOP to expand access to health care to children."
"Both Archbishop Levada and Archbishop Niederauer have spoken at SFOP events; SFOP has met regularly with [a]rchdiocesan staff to coordinate work on health care access and other issues that affect the poor and immigrant families," the document continued.
However, an investigation by the Reform CCHD Now campaign, which includes several pro-life groups as members, found SFOP supports health care facilities that promote contraception and emergency contraception such as the morning after pill, which can cause an abortion in some circumstances.
In a statement LifeNews.com received today, ALL says further investigation reveals the SFOP was instrumental in establishing the Healthy Kids and Healthy San Francisco insurance programs that cover full range of birth control, from drugs to devices, and elective abortion.
SFOP worked to launch Healthy Kids, enrolling over 2,000 children through the San Francisco Health Plan, ALL indicates. SFOP not only engaged in public campaigns to get Healthy San Francisco, which also covers birth control and elective abortion, passed, but a member of SFOP served on the Healthy San Francisco Advisory Board, which provided expert consultation.
“The SFOP was cleared for funding after a reinvestigation – how could the Archdiocese of San Francisco not know about SFOP’s involvement in Healthy Kids and Healthy San Francisco?” asked Michael Hichborn, American Life League’s lead researcher on the CCHD.
In August, Bellermine Veritas Ministry, another participant in the Reform CCHD Now campaign, released its first report on the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the CCHD, showing that the CCHD-funded organizations "Young Workers United" and the "Chinese Progressive Association" issued 2008 voter guides advocating abortion.
“Given that the CCHD and the Archdiocese of San Francisco have a history of clearing pro-abortion groups for funding, a disturbing pattern is beginning to emerge,” said Hichborn.
“Bishop Roger Morin (chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the CCHD) called our charges against the CCHD ‘outrageous.’ In light of the latest revelations, he and Archbishop Niederauer owe Catholics across the country an explanation.” Hichborn said.
LifeNews.com has invited the Archdiocese to respond to the ALL charges and has not heard back.
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