Advocacy Day, April 6
February 21, 2011
On Feb. 18, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo kicked off a meeting of Catholics who were preparing for Catholic Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. Advocacy Day is an opportunity for teams of Catholics to meet with Texas legislators to inform them of the bishops' legislative priorities. 
Photo by Jonah Dycus
The cardinal encouraged participants to advocate for a number of priorities, especially pro-life issues and immigration. Cardinal DiNardo, chair of the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in his January 20 letter to Congress that the Protect Life Act "will bring PPACA into line with policies on abortion and conscience rights that have long prevailed in other federal health programs."
On Feb. 17, the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops welcomed the approval in committee of the Protect Life Act (H.R. 358). Sponsored by Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and 123 co-sponsors, the Protect Life Act would apply longstanding federal policies on abortion funding, and conscience rights on abortion, to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed last March. On February 15, the full House Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 358 in a bi-partisan vote (33 to 19), and rejected three amendments that would have weakened the bill.