In an interview published in The Catholic Times, La Crosse Bishop Jerome Listecki has publicly acknowledged his break with the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) of Bishops over a bill forcing all state hospitals, Catholic ones included, to provide abortifacient emergency contraception to rape victims.Listecki has joined Madison Bishop Robert Morlino in urging legislators to oppose AB 377 but the state bishops' conference maintains a neutral position on the legislation which is to receive a final vote in the state Assembly on January 16.
Bishop Morlino made his stand known last month in a letter to legislators urging them to oppose the bill.
Both Bishops Morlino and Listecki say that the neutral stand of the bishops' conference was to show support for a clause which proposed to allow an opt out for institutions and individuals if tests determine pregnancy prior to administration of the abortifacient drugs.
However that opt-out clause was rejected by the legislators, thus making the neutral stance of the WCC "moot".
Despite the change, the rest of the Wisconsin bishops represented by the conference have not joined their two confreres in opposing the legislation.
WCC executive director John Huebscher told The Catholic Times that the Catholic Conference is retaining its current stance of neutrality. "We respect the concerns raised in (Bishop Morlino's) letter," he said. "They certainly underscore the passion of the bishops in affirming human life. At the same time, the Catholic Conference has not changed its position on the bill."
Heubscher said the WCC's neutrality is based on the unanimous opinion of the state's diocesan attorneys that a current conscience exemption contained other state legislation.
Pro-life Catholic activists have pointed out however that any dalliance with emergency contraception, even for rape victims, is impermissible. Such activists point out that:
- The only public Vatican statement on the morning after pill condemns its use outright. The Pontifical Academy for Life states that "the absolute unlawfulness of abortifacient procedures also applies to distributing, prescribing and taking the morning-after pill. All who, whether sharing the intention or not, directly co-operate with this procedure are also morally responsible for it."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce