A group of 60 Catholic clergy, theologians, and social justice leaders are calling on “pro-life” members of Congress — such as Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) — to focus on gun violence prevention as part of their moral commitment to sanctity of human life.

Noting that thousands of Catholics will gather in Washington, DC this week for the National March for Life, an annual anti-abortion protest that commemorates the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the group of religious leaders is encouraging lawmakers in Congress to “show greater moral leadership and political courage” in confronting the dangers posed by Americans’ current access to military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

The coalition’s statement, via Faith in Public Life, challenges Republican lawmakers to extend their focus on the sanctity of life beyond the womb:

We especially encourage our fellow Catholics in Congress, including prominent leaders such as House Speaker John Boehner, to stand up to the National Rifle Association and other gun lobbyists who choose to obstruct sensible reforms. Catholics who earn an “A” rating from the NRA – including Republicans like Speaker Boehner and Rep. Paul Ryan and Democratic lawmakers such as Rep. Joe Donnelly and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp – should not put powerful special interests before the common good. We urge you to reflect on the wisdom in our church’s call for a “consistent ethic of life” as you consider legislation in the coming months that can provide greater protection for our families and communities.

Thousands of Catholics will gather this week for the annual “March for Life” in Washington to speak out against the tragedy of abortion. Our faith and our Church call us to remember, as we reflect on our most recent massacres, that the defense of human dignity extends beyond protecting life in the womb. Gun violence demeans human life and tears communities apart. There have been more than 70 mass shootings since the January 8, 2011, massacre in Tucson, Arizona. More than 900 people have been killed with guns since the Newtown tragedy.

The Catholic leaders are echoing the position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has advocated for stronger gun restrictions over the past three decades. The USCCB also renewed its call for increased gun safety measures in the aftermath of last month’s Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Catholics aren’t the only religious group to support policy solutions to address gun violence; 73 percent of Evangelical leaders also support increased gun regulations.

Unlike assault rifles, abortion services are already heavily regulated by state-level restrictions. In fact, in several states across the country, it’s easier to get a gun than it is to get an abortion.

In an interview with Kaiser Health News on Wednesday, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) explained he remains a staunch opponent of Obamacare because health care reform is unnecessary. According to Bryant, every single American already has the health care they need.

In order to justify his continued refusal to expand his state’s Medicaid program — which would extend health coverage to an additional 200,000 low-income Mississippians — the governor explained that poor people don’t need a “massive new program” when they can simply visit an emergency room to receive care:

BRYANT: There is no one who doesn’t have health care in America. No one. Now, they may end up going to the emergency room. There are better ways to deal with people that need health care than this massive new program.

This is not a new train of thought in the Republican Party. During the presidential election, GOP candidate Mitt Romney claimed that “we do provide care for people who don’t have insurance” by picking them up in ambulance and taking them to the hospital. But suggesting that uninsured Americans can simply get the care they need in the ER is naive. Emergency room and ambulatory care are some of the most expensive medical services in the industry, and the current health care safety net isn’t able to accommodate the strain of an influx of uninsured, low-income Americans who can’t foot those bills.

And, of course, Bryant’s assertion that “there is no one” who lacks health care in this country is false. The Census Bureau estimates that nearly 49 million people were uninsured in 2011. Over 20 percent of working Americans don’t have health care, and 40 percent of the people living in poverty were unable to visit a doctor in 2010. Some of the country’s poorest residents are currently unable to qualify for Medicaid coverage — and even when they do, they can still struggle to access the health services they need.

Obamacare makes big strides to improve Americans’ access to care, particularly with its optional Medicaid expansion, which could extend coverage to 17 million previously uninsured low-income people across the country. But if Republican leaders like Bryant — whose own state has a 19 percent uninsurance rate, one of the worst in the nation — continue to oppose health care reform by pretending uninsured Americans don’t exist, that progress will be placed in jeopardy.