WASHINGTON - March 7, 2010 - CWNews - The US bishops' conference will push for the approval of sweeping health-care reform legislation if the current Senate bill is amended to include the pro-life language contained in the version passed by the House of Representatives.
President Obama and Congressional leaders of the Democratic Party have indicated that they will push for House approval of the Senate bill. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USSCB) has signaled that the Senate bill is unacceptable because it allows for abortion subsidies and fails to protect the conscience rights of health-care personnel.
However Richard Doerflinger, the assistant director of the USCCB pro-life office, told Politico that the bishops' conference would push for adoption of the Senate bill if it were amended to eliminate those problems, by adoption of the "Stupak amendment" approved in the House or a similar amendment.
In order to achieve President Obama's goal of gaining accelerated passage of the bill, the Senate would be required to
With Pro-Life Amendment, US Bishops
Would Push for Health-Care Approval
Richard Doerfinger: Bishops' conference would push for adoption if the Senate bill were amended to include the Stupak or similar amendment.
apply the "reconciliation" process to an amended bill. Such a parliamentary maneuver would inevitably provoke a challenge, with opponents asserting a point of order, because the reconciliation process is not designed for such substantive debates. Doerflinger told Politico that the USCCB would lobby against the point of order.
“We would strongly urge everyone, Democratic and Republican, to vote to waive the point of order,” said the USCCB spokesman. “Whether it would be enough to get to 60 votes, I can’t predict. We would certainly try.”