During their annual plenary meeting, the United States bishops elected Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston as chairman-elect of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Cardinal O’Malley was elected in a 149-84 vote over Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit. He will take over the office from Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston in the new year. O’Malley takes the helm of the committee at a critical time, when the U.S. bishops are heavily engaged in the battle to strip Obama’s health care reform law of provisions that open the door to massive increased funding of abortion and an attack on the conscience rights of health care workers.