(AP Photo)
(CNSNews.com) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has refused to renew a $2.5-million grant to the nation’s Catholic bishops to help human trafficking victims, and the bishops conclude the reason why is because the Catholic Church does not refer women for abortion services.
“The USCCB feels that this was unfair and wants to know how this decision was made, so [the bishops] are in the process of requesting that information now,” Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), told CNSNews.com.
Walsh said the HHS did not explain why it turned down the Catholic Church’s application, but that in accepting bids to provide services for victims of human trafficking, the HHS funding announcement stated that it would give “preference” to grantees that offer victims a referral to medical providers who do provide abortion and family planning services.
“The contract pointed out that ‘preference’ would be given to those who offer ‘the full-range of legally permissible gynecological and obstetric care,’ which is a codeword for artificial contraception, sterilization and abortion,” Walsh told CNSNews.com.
Walsh pointed out that the funding announcement did not state that faith-based organizations would be excluded, but rather, she said, “required an explanation of the limits of services provided by an organization with an estimated impact and a plan for mitigating the impact.”
Walsh said the USCCB explained in its application that its Migrant and Refugee Services (MRS) section had worked with 163 organizations ranging from the Salvation Army to the YMCA to Lutheran family service to help more than 2,700 victims.
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