The Catholic bishop of Toledo, Ohio urged Congress to oppose the so-called Equality Act, a “Trojan Horse” that would jeopardize unborn babies’ lives and religious freedom for millions of Americans.
In a statement Saturday, Bishop Daniel Thomas warned that the legislation would do the opposite of what it claims to do: discriminate, The Crescent-News reports.
“In effect, the Equality Act discriminates against people of faith,” the bishop said. It “serves as a ‘Trojan Horse’ to promote a pro-abortion agenda and impose gender ideologies that dismiss the truth and beauty of male and female complementarity, and the very nature of the human person …”
The bill passed the U.S. House in February and awaits action in the Senate.
Among other things, Thomas said the bill would be used to force taxpayers to fund the killing of unborn babies in abortions and mandate that doctors and nurses do abortions in violation of their conscience.
SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you like this pro-life article, please help LifeNews.com with a donation!
The bill also would exempt itself from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, “making it more difficult for individuals to live out their faith,” he continued. And it would force faith-based charities, including abuse shelters, foster care agencies and others, to violate their religious beliefs, he said.
Doing so would harm millions of people in need who rely on services from faith-based charities every year, the bishop continued. He said the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental provider of human services in the U.S. through its parishes, schools, hospitals, shelters, legal clinics, food banks and other charities.
“United as Catholics we must stand for the dignity of the human person, both born and pre-born,” Thomas said. “We cannot remain silent in the face of efforts to nullify the exercise of religious freedom in our nation.”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also is urging Congress to reject the Equality Act.
“Rather than affirm human dignity in ways that meaningfully exceed existing practical protections, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith,” the bishops said in a February statement. “It would also inflict numerous legal and social harms on Americans of any faith or none.”
The bishops’ opposition and that of many other pro-life, conservative and religious leaders comes in reaction to President Joe Biden’s and Democrat leaders’ plans to push the pro-abortion bill through Congress.
On the surface, the goal of the Equality Act (House Resolution 5) is to protect people from discrimination. It would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to redefine sex discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation.
But leading pro-life and conservative groups warned that the legislation would create a “right to demand an abortion.” They said medical workers could be forced to help abort unborn babies and taxpayers could be forced to fund their deaths.
According to the National Right to Life Committee, the deceptively-named legislation “contains language amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that could be construed to create a right to demand abortion from health care providers, and likely would place at risk the authority of state and federal government to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions. If enacted, this legislation could be used as a powerful tool to challenge any and all state abortion restrictions.”
The Equality Act is one of Biden’s top legislative priorities for his first 100 days in office.
National Right to Life, the Family Research Council, the Susan B. Anthony List, March for Life Action and other pro-life groups also are urging lawmakers to reject the bill.
ACTION ALERT: Contact your two senators and urge a NO vote on the Equality Act. Call (202) 224-3121 or go here for specific contact info.
