Religious right launches fresh assault on US abortion rights

Catholic bishops and Protestant evangelists in the US have unleashed an intense lobbying campaign to force fresh limitations on access to abortion into healthcare legislation under debate in the Senate this week. Pro-choice groups have described the attack on proposed health reforms mounted by the religious right–which last month pressured the House of Representatives to effectively block women from using medical insurance to pay for abortions–as one of the most serious threats to abortion rights in recent years. The campaign has thrust the divisive issue back to the forefront of US politics, pitting the White House and its allies against religious leaders, who have accused Barack Obama's administration of being part of a "culture of death". Ten days ago more than 150 bishops and other religious leaders issued a declaration denouncing Obama's position on abortion and threatening civil disobedience against new laws affecting that and other social issues, such as gay marriage.