To the editor:
I was deeply disappointed in the story concerning the American Catholic bishops’ position on the proposed bill, Freedom of Choice. It gave lengthy treatment to the process that led to the bishops’ opposition but totally failed to note that it would nullify the ban on partial birth abortion which Senator Pat Moynahan called “infanticide.” That procedure involves pulling the baby three-quarters of the way out of the womb, punching a hole in its skull and sucking its brains out. How can any member of the clergy straddle the fence on this issue? Why wasn’t it described in detail in the article?
From my reading of this bill, it would also penalize Catholic hospitals that refuse to perform abortions and it would require Catholic doctors to perform the procedure.
Why isn’t the church fighting this bill in every pulpit and in the main stream press?
If the church were to run an ad showing a partial birth abortion on television, the result would be an outcry against this bill.
In a speech to a Planned Parenthood audience, Barack Obama said the first thing he’ll do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice law.
Calling it evil but making little effort to explain why is hardly the convincing show of force that’s needed in the short time left to put a stop to this bill, which is currently before Congress.
Donald E. Kneeland
Macedon
