Nancy Pelosi participated in a panel discussion at Georgetown University's Center on Faith and Justice. She criticized the U.S. Catholic bishops for their opposition to abortion and transgender treatments for children.

Criticism of Nancy Pelosi on U.S. Catholic Bishops Stance

Nancy Pelosi frequently points to her Catholic faith as the justification for the stances she takes on social issues, including her support for the LGBTQ+ movement and her ardent advocacy for abortion rights. A report from the Catholic News Agency stated that Pelosi backed legislation during both of her terms as speaker of the house, first from 2007-2011 and 2019-2023, which included the Affordable Care Act and the Respect for Marriage Act. Both of these pieces of legislation were opposed by the bishops in the United States.

On Thursday, Mar. 23, Pelosi criticized U.S. Catholic bishops' views against abortion and gender-transitioning therapies for youngsters while participating in a panel discussion hosted by the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University. She stated that the bishops are willing to leave the majority of Catholic social teaching over the issue of abortion. "And that's the fight that we have," she concluded.

Moreover, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has asserted that abortion is a "grave evil" and that the legislation about LGBTQ+ individuals is "deeply concerning." San Francisco's Archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, the city that Pelosi serves, said in an open letter in May 2022 that he would prohibit clergy in his diocese from administering Holy Communion to Pelosi due to her stance on abortion.

Pelosi responded, "I figure that's his problem, not mine. He made it very clear, maybe we're not all God's children. Maybe we do not have a free will."

There has been a lot of anti-LGBTQ criticism from the archbishop and others. Currently, the problem is transgender children; specifically, in some states, people can be arrested for attempting to meet the health needs of their transgender child. "So, yeah some of it is stirred up by some of the more conservative leaders in the Church. It's sad to say - not His Holiness," she added.

Furthermore, despite her pro-abortion stance, Pelosi considers herself to be pro-life because she is a mother to five children in a little more than six years and because she is concerned about the welfare of children.

Pelosi asserts that she and the bishops are "pretty much in sync" with most Catholic social teaching, except for their stances regarding abortion. She also took credit for the passage of the Affordable Care Act, more commonly called Obamacare, in 2010.

According to Investopedia, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive healthcare legislation implemented by President Obama in March of 2010. The law, which is formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act but more commonly referred to as Obamacare, contains a list of healthcare policies that are intended to widen the availability of medical coverage for millions of uninsured Americans. 

Also Read: Department of Justice to Investigate Surge in Pro-Abortion Attacks on Churches, Pregnancy Centers

Oppositions to Affordable Care Act

As per Guttmacher, since abortion is fundamental medical care, it should be made available to anyone who purchases health insurance. However, while passing the ACA, congress decided against guaranteeing coverage of this basic health service and instead established rules specific to the coverage of abortions.

Under this act, an insurer who chooses to include coverage for abortion-related costs in a plan sold through the marketplace must comply with several administrative requirements to prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. In addition, states retain the option to prohibit abortion coverage in marketplace plans outright, and half of them have done it too.

Individuals who are already covered by a plan or in the market for one should, at the very least, easily discern whether and to what extent a plan covers abortion care, given the special treatment of abortion care under the ACA and the confusion that it has created.

Related Article: Bishops in the United Kingdom Disagrees With New Law Criminalizing Prayer Outside Abortion Clinics