In a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop, has renewed his commitment to defending the Defense of Marriage Act. The message, dated September 20, 2011, comes in response to recent actions taken by the Obama Administration that threaten the very existence of marriage.

Over the last several months, the United States Justice Department has shifted its attitude toward the Defense of Marriage Act from simply not defending it to challenging its constitutionality altogether. That move, in itself, is unconstitutional, some have argued, because the role of the executive branch of government is to enforce the laws, even those it does not necessarily support.

Within the letter, Archbishop Dolan reaffirms the USCCB’s support for the institution of marriage. Dolan also reiterates the “immeasurable personal dignity and equal worth of all individuals,” including the dignity of those with same-sex attraction, the main supporters of the repeal of DOMA. Furthermore, the archbishop refutes the claim that the support of DOMA is “rooted in prejudice and bias.”

President Obama signs Health Care Reform into Law | Source: White House

We learned sad news today out of Pennsylvania: $160 million worth of taxpayer money is going to fund high risk insurance plans that include coverage of legal abortions. Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), stated: “This is just the first proof of the phoniness of President Obama’s assurances that federal funds would not subsidize abortion — but it will not be the last.”

Johnson also stated: “President Obama successfully opposed including language in the bill to prevent federal subsidies for abortions, and now the Administration is quietly advancing its abortion-expanding agenda through administrative decisions such as this, which they hope will escape broad public attention.”