That is, the if the fathers are bishops. It turns out that Catholic nuns (at least 59,000 of them) are urging passage of the Obama healthcare reform bill, noting that providing healthcare to mothers is the truly pro-life position. This is contrary to the Catholic Bishops.

More from CNN:

The letter argues that the legislation “will make crucial investments in community health centers that largely serve poor women and children.”

“And despite false claims to the contrary, the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions,” the letter reads. “It will uphold longstanding conscience protections and it will make historic new investments – $250 million – in support of pregnant women. This is the REAL pro-life stance, and we as Catholics are all for it.”

You can read the full statement here. Excerpt:

Congress must act. We are asking every member of our community to contact their congressional representatives this week. In this Lenten time, we have launched nationwide prayer vigils for health care reform. We are praying for those who currently lack health care. We are praying for the nearly 45,000 who will lose their lives this year if Congress fails to act. We are also praying for you and your fellow Members of Congress as you complete your work in the coming days. For us, this health care reform is a faith mandate for life and dignity of all of our people.