(LifeSiteNews) — A leading U.S. Catholic bishop has hit back at President Joe Biden’s August 3 executive order facilitating abortion, saying it leads to the “destruction of defenseless, voiceless human beings.”
Archbishop William Lori, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement August 5, condemning self-professed “Catholic” Biden’s continued promotion of abortion in light of the June overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“Continued promotion of abortion takes lives and irreparably harms vulnerable pregnant mothers, their families, and society,” wrote Archbishop Lori.
“It is the wrong direction to take at a moment when we should be working to support women and to build up a culture of life,” continued the archbishop of Baltimore.
I continue to call on the President and all our elected officials to increase support and care to mothers and babies, rather than facilitate the destruction of defenseless, voiceless human beings.
Lori closed by invoking the “Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of our nation,” to “intercede for us as we advocate to protect human life and work toward solutions that will help every mother and child flourish.”
The archbishop’s statement came in response to Biden’s August 3 Executive Order, facilitating abortion access for women, “including their ability to travel to seek abortion care in States where it is legal.”
The order provides assistance for women to travel out of state when seeking abortions, and provides assistance and “guidance” for health-care providers looking to provide “medically necessary care” – abortion – in the post-Roe world.
Biden cited the “crisis facing women’s health and public health,” saying that the overturning of Roe meant that “women’s health and lives are on the line amidst chaos and uncertainty unleashed by this decision.”
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra “is going to work with states through the Medicaid to allow them to provide reproductive healthcare for women who live in states where — where abortions are being banned in that state,” Biden added.
The August 3 order came at the inaugural meeting of Biden’s “Interagency Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access,” set up after the demise of Roe to continue the Biden administration’s support and promotion of abortion.
The Taskforce is a huge inter-departmental government project, being led by Becerra and the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, Jennifer Klein.
Offices and departments involved in the pro-abortion task force include:
- Office of the Vice President
- Office of White House Counsel
- Domestic Policy Council
- National Economic Council,
- National Security Council
- Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Defense
- Department of Education
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Justice
- Department of Labor
- Department of the Treasury
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Federal Communications Commission
- Federal Trade Commission
- Office of Management and Budget
- Office of Personnel Management
Both the August 3 executive order and the new task force come on the back of Biden’s July 8 executive order, committing the administration to promoting abortion and contraception.