By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist  A Roman Catholic nun who was reprimanded by her order last month for her support of abortion rights, used the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary to applaud the defeat of the pro-life Nelson-Hatch Amendment and make the outrageous claim that Mary’s decision to bear Jesus made her the first women in the New Testament to “express Choice.” Sister Donna Quinn, O.P., was publicly rebuked by her order last month for escorting patients into a Illinois abortion clinic. However, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the nun is not backing down on her support of abortion rights. She used the occasion of the Immaculate Conception to send thank you notes to everyone who contacted their representatives to vote against the bill, which was defeated by a 54-45 vote in the Senate. Citing a poem about the Virgin Mary, Quinn noted the providential date of the amendment’s defeat. “I was reminded of being with men and women from the Unitarian faith tradition last year as they celebrated Mary who by her assent, they believed, was one of the first women in the New Testament to express Choice,” Quinn said. She also commented on the Vatican Visitation which is currently investigating religious orders in the United States. Quoting another dissident nun, Jeannine Gramick, Quinn wrote: “Faithful and respectful dissent is vital to the life of the church. It enables the church community to think, to deliberate, to debate and to grow in relationship to one another and in relationship to God. We cannot afford to let our dissenters be silenced. They are a gift to our church." Quinn is well-known for her liberal views and propensity for flagrant dissent. In 2005, she defied the Archbishop of Chicago’s gan on giving communion to members of the homosexual activist group, the Rainbow Sash Movement. When members of the group were denied Communion during Mass at the Cathedral, Quinn and several companions approached the altar, received Communion, then gave a portion of their consecrated hosts to members of the group. In 1974, Quinn co-founded the liberal feminist organization Chicago Catholic Women, which dissolved in 2000. She is now coordinator of the radical group National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN), which opposes Church teaching on abortion, homosexuality, contraception, and the male priesthood. © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com