U.S. Senators Insult Memory of Pope John Paul II

After Honoring Him, Vote to Rescind “Mexico City Policy”

By Bill May, Dec. 11, 2006

How can a person honor Pope Paul the Great with words and then immediately turn around and take action contrary to what he was honored for? That is exactly what fifty-two US Senators did casting two back-to-back votes on April 5.

The first vote was to honor the legacy of Pope John Paul the Great as a defender of human rights and dignity around the world. They lauded him for his strong defense of “the weakest and most vulnerable members of the human family.”

No sooner did the Senate recognize the Pope with a unanimous vote, they turned around and adopted a motion by Senator Barbara Boxer, to rescind President Bush’s Mexico City policy and to authorize the US to start funding groups that promote and perform abortions in the third world. The vote was a tragedy to begin with, but because of its timing, was an insult to the memory of Pope John Paul the Great and to every faithful Catholic in the United States. The irony does not stop there.

Looking back to the history on the “Mexico City policy”, Richard Doerflinger, Deputy Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reminds us that the policy “was one of Pope John Paul II’s signal contributions to international policy and the defense of the most vulnerable. The upshot these two votes was “to say that the Pope has a wonderful legacy, but the influence of that legacy urgently needs to be eliminated from our laws.”

The “Mexico City” policy “was first announced by the U.S. delegation sent by President Reagan to a 1984 United Nations population conference in Mexico City,” Doerflinger said. “As the policy was being announced by the U.S., it was also being written into the final UN conference document at the request of the Holy See delegation appointed by Pope John Paul II.”

At the Vatican’s Urging, the UN Rejected Abortion for Third World Population Control

“The language drafted by the Holy See urged population programs to reject abortion as a method of family planning. It was adopted with overwhelming support from Third World countries, which did not want abortion programs imposed on them by Western nations. The language was also supported by the U.S., which announced it would no longer fund organizations violating this international consensus.

The Mexico City policy was part of a major collaborative effort between Pope John Paul the Great and President Reagan. Understanding his concern for the most vulnerable in our society, the Pope probably saw the results of this international effort to save lives as one of his great achievements.

While this dreadful amendment will not likely survive in the House, “one has to wonder why so many Senators went out of their way, just before the funeral of this Pope, to praise his legacy and then attack his values,” Doerflinger concluded. Boxer and the other Senators who voted for this amendment, owe faithful Catholics a apology for this insult.

William B. May is chairman Catholics for the Common Good. 

Did your Senator voted to fund the promotion and performance of abortions in the third world?

Yes: 52 Members No : 46 Members Not Voting : 2 Members
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Ken Salazar (D-CO)
Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
Joseph Lieberman (D-CT)
Joseph Biden (D-DE)
Thomas Carper (D-DE)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Barack Obama (D-IL)
Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
John Kerry (D-MA)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Mark Dayton (D-MN)
Max Baucus (D-MT)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Gordon Smith (R-OR)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
John Warner (R-VA)
James Jeffords (I-VT)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Herbert Kohl (D-WI)
Robert Byrd (D-WV)
John Rockefeller (D-WV)		 Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Mel Martinez (R-FL)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Charles Grassley (R-IA)
Larry Craig (R-ID)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Norm Coleman (R-MN)
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Jim Talent (R-MO)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Richard Burr (R-NC) Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)
Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Pete Domenici (R-NM)
John Ensign (R-NV)
Mike DeWine (R-OH)
George Voinovich (R-OH)
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
James Inhofe (R-OK)
Rick Santorum (R-PA)
Jim DeMint (R-SC)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
John Thune (R-SD)
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Bill Frist (R-TN)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
George Allen (R-VA)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)		 Wayne Allard (R-CO)
Edward Kennedy (D-MA)