Congress is currently drafting the final package of nine appropriations bills for fiscal year 2012, and the draft of the one bill funding the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) contains the "Abortion Nondiscrimination Act" (ANDA). However, pro-abortion pressure is making it difficult for House Leadership and pro-life Members to keep "ANDA" in the final package of spending bills. While other "pro-life riders" such as the Hyde Amendment (banning abortion funding in the Health and Human Services), and the Dornan Amendment (banning funding abortion in the District of Columbia), are likely to be maintained, adding a permanent conscience clause into law is urgently needed.

The LHHS bill already contains a conscience clause, called "Hyde-Weldon" that prevents federal discrimination against health care providers who object to performing or participating in abortion.However, this annual rider is being bypassed by the courts and the Obama administration.

You may have heard of the New Jersey nurses who are being pressured by their hospital to participate in abortion. The nurses were told that federal laws do not protect them from "participating in abortion" since they are not forced to kill the unborn babies, but according to one of the nurses, Fe Esperanza R. Vinoya, she was told by her manager: "You just have to catch the baby's head. Don't worry, it's already dead." The hospital receives $60 million in federal funds, and in their legal brief claim that the nurses do not have a "right to suit". The Abortion Non-Discrimination Act essentially would make permanent the Hyde-Weldon conscience protection already in the LHHS bill, which has to be renewed each year. It also expressly adds a "right of action" so that nurses such as these NJ pro-life nurses have a right to suit if they are being discriminated against.

You may have also heard of the government adding a requirement to refer for abortion in a grant announcement dealing with helping victims of human trafficking. After the Catholic Bishops had this grant for five years, they applied for the renewed contract. Despite receiving the second highest score, the Department of Health and Human Services bypassed them because they neither participate in nor refer these victims of human trafficking for abortion. This action violates the Hyde-Weldon amendment, by the same agency that is supposed to protect and defend the Hyde-Weldon amendment! ANDA is therefore necessary to strengthen current law.