Letters sent to the new Administration and new Congress by the USCCB's president, Cardinal Francis George

Date:     January 16, 2009
From:    Richard Doerflinger, Associate Director, USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life
Re:         Letters to the new Administration
 
We want to be sure everyone sees these letters, sent recently to the new Administration and new Congress by the USCCB's president, Cardinal Francis George.
 
Cardinal George wrote an introductory letter to President-elect Obama on January 13, with identical letters to all members of the House and Senate, outlining the bishops' broad public policy agenda. 

[more]

Open Letter to President Obama

Letter to President Obama on Conscience Rights

A news release on the letter is here:
 
He followed up today, January 16, with a letter to the President-elect urging him not to rescind current executive policies that protect conscience rights and prevent government funding of abortion groups and unethical embryonic stem cell research.  A news release on this letter will be issued on Monday, January 19.
 
Next week there will be a new letter, from Cardinal Rigali as chair of the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, urging Congress to retain pro-life riders in the appropriations bills (Hyde amendment, Hyde/Weldon conscience protection amendment, Dickey amendment on human embryo research, etc.) when the members take up the issue of continued funding for the government in the coming weeks.  The current appropriations bills expire on March 5.  We will get this to you as soon as possible.
 
Thanks for your attention to these.  We look forward to seeing many of you next week in Washington when we stand up for life!