Richmond, Va., Roman Catholic Bishop Francis DiLorenzo in a letter published on Monday apologized after Commonwealth Catholic Charities employees helped a 16-year-old Guatemalan girl obtain an abortion in January, the New York Times reports.
A spokesperson for HHS said the department in April asked its inspector general to investigate whether CCC or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had violated state and federal law. The conference receives $7.6 million annually in federal money, and CCC is a subcontractor of the conference. Federal law prohibits the use of federal money to fund abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when pregnant women's lives are in jeopardy. Virginia law also requires parental consent for minors to obtain abortions. Stephen Neill, a spokesperson for DiLorenzo, said that neither CCC nor the diocese paid for the abortion. He added that neither DiLorenzo nor CCC Executive Director Joanne Nattrass had been directly contacted by federal officials.
Neill said the girl was being cared for by CCC, which helps place undocumented immigrant children without guardians in foster care. The girl received an abortion after a staff member at CCC signed a consent form and after a volunteer drove her to a facility. Four CCC employees who were involved in the situation were fired in March, Neill added.
In a statement on Tuesday, Nattrass said that she was told on Jan. 17 that the girl was scheduled to have an abortion the following day. Nattrass said she informed DiLorenzo, who said, "I forbid this to happen." Nattrass added that based on incorrect information she received, the bishop was told the abortion could not be stopped. DiLorenzo wrote, "I join my sadness to yours at the loss of the life of an unborn child whose teenage mother was in the foster care of Commonwealth Catholic Charities," adding, "Obviously, respect for the life of the unborn is a basic tenet of our Catholic faith and morality" (Urbina, New York Times, 7/3).
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