In a press conference on Thursday, “devout Catholic” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) responded to the Archbishop of San Francisco’s statement that the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) is “nothing more than child sacrifice” and that he calls on Catholics to pray for the bill to vanquish. Predictably, Pelosi used her faith to defend the bill and her pro-abortion position.
In the press conference, a reporter posed the question, “Speaker, I’d like to ask you about the Women’s Health Protection Act. The Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Archbishop of San Francisco warns that the bill is nothing more than child sacrifice and he calls on Catholics to fast and pray to defeat this bill. You're Catholic. Your reaction?”
“Yeah I'm Catholic. I come from a pro-life family, not active in that regard,” Pelosi stated. “The archbishop of the city of that area, of San Francisco, and I, have a disagreement about who should decide this. I believe that God has given us a free will to honor our responsibilities.”
REPORTER: "The Archbishop of San Francisco warns the bill is nothing more than child sacrifice and he calls on Catholics to fast and pray to defeat this bill. You're Catholic. Your reaction?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 23, 2021
PELOSI: "Yeah I'm Catholic. I come from a pro-life family, not active in that regard." pic.twitter.com/D5LbzIOyWS
WHPA, which is led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), would “codify” provisions set by Roe v. Wade into federal law and make it illegal for states to pass abortion-restricting legislation before the point of fetal viability. Fetal viability, as outlined in Roe, is 24 weeks gestation.
As Rebecca reported, the House plans to vote on WPHA soon in an effort to overturn state legislation that restricts abortion access before the 24-week threshold in pregnancy. Namely, Texas’ abortion law, S.B. 8, which went in effect Sept. 1 and was upheld by the Supreme Court, was a catalyst to railroad this bill into law.
S.B. 8, the “heartbeat” law, outlaws abortion once fetal cardiac activity is detected at roughly six weeks gestation. Additionally, other states, such as South Dakota, South Carolina, and Montana have made efforts this year to curtail abortion.
In a statement published by the Archdiocese of San Francisco on Tuesday, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said “[i]t is especially shameful that any self-professed Catholic would be implicated in such an evil, let alone advocate for it.”
“Abortion is homicide…. It is a human life, period. And this human life must be respected,” he continued. “A child is not an object to be thrown away, and neither is a mother’s heart. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the answer to a woman in a crisis pregnancy is not violence but love. This is America. We can do better.”