December 16, 2013 5:04 PM

CATHOLIC BISHOPS TAKE SERIOUS ISSUE WITH TEXAS RIGHT TO LIFE'S SCORECARD

Elizabeth Graham says bishops should have more pressing matters than to critique her group

Texas Catholic Bishops blasted Texas Right to Life for those pro-life scores you will see touted by conservative candidates over and over again during the primary campaign season. In a letter to lawmakers dated Dec 9 and obtained by QR on Monday, Texas Catholic Conference Executive Director Jeffery Patterson made it clear that the bishops do not agree with the rankings released by Texas Right to Life and its director Elizabeth Graham. They further suggested she and her group are misleading voters about some lawmakers who Catholic leaders deem to be completely on their side of the life issue, including abortion and end-of-life decisions.

The letter outlines why the bishops believe TRTL’s scorecard is totally skewed. Patterson argues, in part, that votes taken this year by lawmakers that were reviewed on the scorecard only represent a fraction of the life issues placed before them. He also said the votes were selectively chosen and went on to suggest that may be because of “political agendas.” The end result, Patterson said, is voters might be misled about who is pro-life and who isn’t.

By Scott Braddock