This is a big week for Catholics and pro-lifers in our daily battle to defend life in the public square. 

At some point this week, possibly today, Senators Hatch and Enzi will introduce a number of bills in the Senate Finance Committee that seek to keep abortion and assisted suicide out of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus’ (D-MT) health care bill. 

Additionally, the Senators are expected to introduce an amendment allowing pro-life doctors, nurses and other health care practicioners to opt out of providing abortion and assisted suicide services based on their religious beliefs.  A listing of the Amendments is below.

Unfortunately, liberal Democrats on the committee are likely to shoot down many of these Amendments, but they will be brought up again as the debate moves through the Senate and the House.  Members of Congress are keeping a tally of phone calls coming in from constitutents so we need to keep emailing and calling our Senators and Representatives to tell them to keep abortion and assisted suicide out of health care.

Call the Capital Hill Switch Board today and ask to be transferred to your Senator. 202-224-3121 and tell them no to government funding of abortion and no to assisted suicide in health care- tell them abortion and assisted suicide should be kept out of health care reform. We can tell you from having worked on the Hill, these calls and emails matter.

Please stay tuned for regular updates on these issues here and also get involved at

http://www.realhealthcarerespectslife.com/

http://stoptheabortionmandate.com/

•Hatch #10 restores funding for abstinence education.

•Hatch #12 prohibits funding for assisted suicide and offers conscience protection to those who refuse to participate in assisted suicide.

•Hatch #13 mirrors the Hyde-Weldon conscience protections with regard to abortion.

•Hatch #14 prohibits funding abortion or plans that cover abortion. Also clarifies that it does not prohibit insurance providers from offering abortion coverage separate from the subsidized plan.

•Enzi #12 strikes Baucus abortion language and adds language prohibiting any federal government entity from requiring abortion coverage.

•Enzi #13 strikes Baucus abortion language and adds language prohibiting any federal funding for abortion or plans that cover abortion and allows individuals to purchase separate supplemental abortion coverage with non-federal funds.

•Enzi #14 strikes Baucus abortion language and adds language prevent overturning of state abortion laws.

•Enzi #15 strikes Baucus abortion language and adds language prohibiting state and local governments, health care providers and health plans that receive federal financial assistance from discriminating against entities on the basis of their refusal to perform and participate in specific surgical or medical procedures or provide certain pharmaceuticals.