The fact that Catholic under the leadership of Francis Cardinal George along with all other Catholic bishops in the state…joining many evangelical Protestant leaders… have defeated  “Reproductive Health & Access Act” [HB 2354], a huge, omnibus pro-abort bill designed to affirm the legislature’s support of Roe v. Wade is a non-event in one-sided liberal coverage Chicago.

The blackout of coverage tells you that there are some issues that are covered…and some that are not.  Those that are not involve pro-life.

More than 5,000 Catholics went to Springfield earlier this year to lobby against the bill, organized by Robert Gilligan, head of the Illinois Catholic conference and one of the most astute public affairs executives in the state.  No secular media coverage eventuated, of course, because pro-life is a non-event (in contrast a handful of blacks and three homosexual activists rate banner-line coverage) but the rally seems to have struck sparks with the Democratic legislative majorities.  Cardinal George wrote an eloquent letter against the legislation that was publicized across the state.

At a time when many authenticist Catholics complain about the lack of a  Church Militant, they have nothing to kick about here: Cardinal George has not only condemned the legislation but has said that the Church will withdraw support from all Catholic hospitals in the state if the legislation passes.

Basically as introduced, the bill, written largely by lawyers from Planned Parenthood and the ACLU,  was the most draconian rollback of human rights since the fight against abortion began.  As introduced,  the bill would nullify the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act and the Parental Notification Act as well as undermine the “physician only” requirement in Illinois law certifying that abortions can be performed only by licensed physicians.

Also it would:  deny the rights of conscience of health care professionals and compel them to provide “reproductive services” i.e. abortion that violate their personal or religious consciences…rescind local control on sex education in the schools and mandate contraceptive sex education even in elementary schools…strike any courses advising abstinence until marriage.  It would rescind the Hyde amendment, expand taxpayer funding of abortion and possibly require state health insurance to cover abortion…also establish a liability shield for abortion providers that harm pregnant women.

In addition it would provide not just support for civil unions but would ease the way for same-sex marriage, redefining the word “spouse” to include same gender persons.

The impact of the bill was trimmed considerably because Catholics in particular had been organized expertly by Gilligan—but the concessions were no good.  Pro-abort Catholic Dem Rep. Susana  Mendoza [Chicago] complained last week she was “pounded” relentlessly by people from her district’s churches.  Indeed, all the perfumes in Arabia would not sweeten the bill’s sickening import including addition of a wishy-washy preamble which pretends to weaken the conscience clause.   By last week’s end State Rep. Jack Franks (D-McHenry), a target of demonstrations, yanked his name off the bill as an author.

A last minute supposed “concession” allowed parents the right to opt their kids out of the proposed sex ed classes but it was filled with “iffy” language.  The bill’s main sponsor was House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a pro-abort nominal Catholic from Obama’s far-left neighborhood of Hyde Park. Of 33 House co-sponsors, 30 were Democrats.  The leading Republican co-sponsor was holder of a sweet Irish name, Rosemary Mulligan, but is a non-practicing ex-Catholic handmaiden of the insidious pro-abort lobby Personal PAC.

Late last week the Illinois Catholic Conference notified its membership that cosmetic changes in the bill “fails to meet our concerns.” So it was withdrawn rather than see it defeated. The archdiocese, the Catholic Conference and groups such as Catholic Citizens of Illinois, the Pro-Life Action League,  Illinois Citizens for Life, the Illinois Right to Life Federation and many-many evangelical Protestant groups including the indomitable evangelical Jill Stanek who electrified the nation to win national passage of  “Born Alive,” have been stirringly effective in this fight.

To his credit, Cardinal George pulled no punches.

But why…oh why…can’t the media cover this?

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Tom Roeser is the Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Chicago Daily Observer