In a vote of 416 to 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution “objecting to” the See Change Campaign, led by Catholics for a Free Choice, that aims to change the status of the Holy See at the United Nations. Since 1964, the Vatican has held “permanent observer” status in the U.N., and has used its position to further its anti-abortion position.
Catholics for a Free Choice President Frances Kissling called the measure partly a savvy political move on the part of Republican anti-choice Representatives to counter public opinion that the Republican party is anti-Catholic, but mainly an effort to cloak their anti-abortion stance in “pro-Catholic,” pro-religious-freedom rhetoric. Kissling, in a press release issued this morning, said, “Non-binding jingoistic apple pie resolutions that mistake questions of law and of policy will not make the real issues go away.”
Catholics for a Free Choice also notes that the non-binding resolution will not halt or otherwise affect the See Change Campaign. The Campaign has the support of many non-governmental organizations and pro-choice individuals.
