Gov. Rendell lifts abortion restrictions on funding in state budget

Published: 2005-07-28

PITTSBURGH (CNS) -- Before Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell signed the state budget, he vetoed language prohibiting funding for abortion-related programs and restored a $6.6 million appropriation for family planning services that could include abortions and abortion referrals. By doing so, he ignored the deeply held conviction of many Pennsylvania residents that they do not want their state tax dollars to fund abortions in any way, said Susan Rauscher, Pittsburgh diocesan secretary for pastoral and social concerns. "It is shocking that Gov. Rendell can take money away from individuals in desperate need to give an additional $6.6 million to organizations who specialize in the deliberate taking of innocent human life," Rauscher told the Pittsburgh Catholic, the diocesan newspaper. She said Catholics are "particularly disturbed by the governor's actions because it is exactly opposite" of the biblical mandate "to defend life and promote life."

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