A day after state Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, made a buzz in the New Orleans area by proposing $1,000 for woman on welfare to have their Fallopian tubes tied, Archbishop Alfred Hughes blasted the idea, calling it “wrong” and against the ideals of the Catholic Church.

WWL-TV

State Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie

The Catholic Church, according to Hughes, cannot support LaBruzzo’s proposal, which among other things called for the voluntary sterilization of women who are on welfare, offering them a $1,000 incentive to have the procedure. 

LaBruzzo said that he was studying the idea because constituents in his district were tired of paying women who cannot support their families and continue to have children.    

“The Catholic Church has consistently taught that direct sterilization is seriously wrong,” said Archbishop Hughes in a statement.  “The recent proposal of Rep. LaBruzzo not only would make sterilization our public policy and require tax payers to pay for it, but would also constitute a form of eugenics that the Church and this country have always condemned as an egregious affront to those targeted and blatantly anti-life.” 

While LaBruzzo said that his office was flooded with phone calls and emails, many in support, “Our lawmakers,” said Hughes, “would do better to focus on policies that promote education and achievement to counteract poverty and the bigotry of low expectations.”

The ACLU of Louisiana also panned LaBruzzo’s idea, echoing Hughes' stance. “The is solution to figure out what they (poor people) need, so they can improve their circumstances, not by the government dictating or influencing who should and who should not have children,” said Majorie Esman of the organization.