Bishops on life issue: It's just too darn complex

Bishops "Disallow Support" for State Constitutional Amendment Protecting Life

Supporters of an anti-abortion ballot initiative that would establish conception as the beginning of life won't receive campaign help from the Catholic Church in Montana.

In an official statement released late last week, Montana bishops Michael W. Warfel of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, and George Leo Thomas of the Diocese of Helena, commended the objectives of Constitutional Initiative 100 but said they did not believe the effort, "is the most beneficial venue to pursue necessary change."

According to Moe Wosepka, executive director of the Montana Catholic Conference, supporters of the so-called Montana Personhood Amendment asked the church for assistance in supporting the effort to amend the state constitution to define a person as "a human being at all stages of human development or life, including the state of fertilization."