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Another major conference of Catholic women religious has weighed in on the health care debate: this time affirming the U.S. bishops’ stand against the current legislation in Congress.

“Protection of life and freedom of conscience are central to morally responsible judgment,” said the letter from Mother Mary Quentin Sheridan, RSM, president of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR). “We join the bishops in seeking ethically sound legislation.”

The letter, which was signed by Mother Sheridan on behalf of the council’s 103 communities and 10,000 members, directly referenced other statements released by the Catholic Health Association, Network and – just yesterday – the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which is one of the two conferences of women religious in the United States. All three endorsed the current health bill, despite the U.S. bishops’ stated position that the bill expands abortion funding and lacks adequate provisions for conscience protection.

“The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious ... believes the Bishops’ position is the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church,” Mother Sheridan’s letter said, adding that statements from groups such as the ones mentioned above “directly oppose the Catholic Church’s position on critical issues of health care reform.”