TO CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES (TX SENATORS ARE CORNYN AND HUTCHISON) about important bills and amendments in relation to Pro-Life issues or any other issues:

Phone calls can be made through the U.S. Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121
Phone numbers for local offices can be found at: www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us
Emails about ProLife issues can be sent through the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment's Action Center at:
www.nchla.org/action.asp

FOR LINKS TO CATHOLIC RESOURCES FOR PRO-LIFE ADVOCACY:
www.myprolife.org

SUPPORT HEALTH CARE REFORM THAT RESPECTS LIFE
On July 31, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed America's Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200); the bill will now be presented to the House for a vote. The committee passed H.R. 3200 with the Capps Amendment which mandates abortion coverage as part of a "public" health insurance plan. Since the amendment also requires at least one other health plan to be available without abortion coverage, supporters of the amendment suggest it is a "compromise". In reality, the amendment is a radical, and unacceptable, change. Although abortion has been legally obtainable in our country, never before has a federal health program mandated "health" coverage of elective abortions.

If H.R. 3200 is passed with the Capps Amendment, those who can only afford the "public" plan will be forced by the federal government to subsidize abortion through their premium payments. In addition, the Capps Amendment suggests that payments for abortion through the health plan will be separate from federal funds, so that no government funds will be used to pay for elective abortions. As noted by our U.S. Bishops, this is "legal fiction", since federal funds will subsidize the public plan as well as private health plans that include abortion demand.

The Senate Finance Committee continues to work on a bill that has not yet been given a bill number. Full House and Senate votes on the Committee's bills are expected soon after the August recess.