Molly Sheahan is Associate Director for Respect Life Advocacy at the Maryland Catholic Conference. Here's her email. You might drop her a line asking 'Why?'.
In the lead article of the latest edition for Defend Life's newsletter (in which I regularly write a column), one is led to ask that question as the MCC supported a bill in the Maryland State Legislature that would allow Planned Parenthood into schools for easy access to school-aged kids.
I needn't rehash the excellent Defend Life piece but rather, I'd suggest you read it yourselves. Some things need to be highlighted about the MCC's support for HB 401. First, two local pro-life groups opposed it. Didn't Molly Sheahan think it might have been wise to inquire why the other two groups opposed it? I would think it should have been a part of some "due-diligence" research on her part. Second, NARAL, existing only to promote abortion, favored it. I might have thought that might raise a red flag or two as to whether or not HB 401 was really beneficial. Defend Life staff questioned Sheahan about these matters, only to receive an evasive response.
So now the question must be asked. What, or maybe, who urged Sheahan to disregard the voices of others in the pro-life community and stand side by side with rabid pro-aborts in support of HB 401? I would not be surprised if those directives came from chanceries. Recall that all three Maryland prelates sit on the Board of Directors of the MCC.
The Archdiocese of Washington has displayed some strange behavior towards pro-life activists. I touched a bit on it three years ago. Might our prelates have been willing to support HB 401 in exchange for some other favor? We don't know. Suffice it to say that Sheahan most likely would not have supported that bill without obtaining at least the permission of the MCC board of directors - that is, the area bishops. I regret this episode might be more than just an error of judgment.
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