Diocesan Pro-Life Directors, State Catholic Conference Directors
USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities
June 24, 2022
USCCB Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson
WASHINGTON— In response to the Supreme Court of the United States issuing its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued the following statement:
“This is a historic day in the life of our country, one that stirs our thoughts, emotions and prayers. For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn children, generations that were denied the right to even be born.
“America was founded on the truth that all men and women are created equal, with God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This truth was grievously denied by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized and normalized the taking of innocent human life. We thank God today that the Court has now overturned this decision. We pray that our elected officials will now enact laws and policies that promote and protect the most vulnerable among us.
“Our first thoughts are with the little ones whose lives have been taken since 1973. We mourn their loss, and we entrust their souls to God, who loved them from before all ages and who will love them for all eternity. Our hearts are also with every woman and man who has suffered grievously from abortion; we pray for their healing, and we pledge our continued compassion and support. As a Church, we need to serve those who face difficult pregnancies and surround them with love.
“Today’s decision is also the fruit of the prayers, sacrifices, and advocacy of countless ordinary Americans from every walk of life. Over these long years, millions of our fellow citizens have worked together peacefully to educate and persuade their neighbors about the injustice of abortion, to offer care and counseling to women, and to work for alternatives to abortion, including adoption, foster care, and public policies that truly support families. We share their joy today and we are grateful to them. Their work for the cause of life reflects all that is good in our democracy, and the pro-life movement deserves to be numbered among the great movements for social change and civil rights in our nation’s history.
“Now is the time to begin the work of building a post-Roe America. It is a time for healing wounds and repairing social divisions; it is a time for reasoned reflection and civil dialogue, and for coming together to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to bring her child into this world in love.
“As religious leaders, we pledge ourselves to continue our service to God’s great plan of love for the human person, and to work with our fellow citizens to fulfill America’s promise to guarantee the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all people.”
View this release on the USCCB website.
Media Contact:
Chieko Noguchi
202-541-3200
USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities
June 24, 2022
USCCB Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson
WASHINGTON— In response to the Supreme Court of the United States issuing its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued the following statement:
“This is a historic day in the life of our country, one that stirs our thoughts, emotions and prayers. For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn children, generations that were denied the right to even be born.
“America was founded on the truth that all men and women are created equal, with God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This truth was grievously denied by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized and normalized the taking of innocent human life. We thank God today that the Court has now overturned this decision. We pray that our elected officials will now enact laws and policies that promote and protect the most vulnerable among us.
“Our first thoughts are with the little ones whose lives have been taken since 1973. We mourn their loss, and we entrust their souls to God, who loved them from before all ages and who will love them for all eternity. Our hearts are also with every woman and man who has suffered grievously from abortion; we pray for their healing, and we pledge our continued compassion and support. As a Church, we need to serve those who face difficult pregnancies and surround them with love.
“Today’s decision is also the fruit of the prayers, sacrifices, and advocacy of countless ordinary Americans from every walk of life. Over these long years, millions of our fellow citizens have worked together peacefully to educate and persuade their neighbors about the injustice of abortion, to offer care and counseling to women, and to work for alternatives to abortion, including adoption, foster care, and public policies that truly support families. We share their joy today and we are grateful to them. Their work for the cause of life reflects all that is good in our democracy, and the pro-life movement deserves to be numbered among the great movements for social change and civil rights in our nation’s history.
“Now is the time to begin the work of building a post-Roe America. It is a time for healing wounds and repairing social divisions; it is a time for reasoned reflection and civil dialogue, and for coming together to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to bring her child into this world in love.
“As religious leaders, we pledge ourselves to continue our service to God’s great plan of love for the human person, and to work with our fellow citizens to fulfill America’s promise to guarantee the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all people.”
View this release on the USCCB website.
Media Contact:
Chieko Noguchi
202-541-3200
Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Cordileone
| pastoral_letter_lettersize_0501.pdf |
April 20, 2021 WASHINGTON – The National Institutes of Health announced last Friday that it is reversing limits on human fetal tissue research that were put in place by the Trump Administration. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued the following statement in response:
“The bodies of children killed by abortion deserve the same respect as that of any other person. Our government has no right to treat innocent abortion victims as a commodity that can be scavenged for body parts to be used in research. It is unethical to promote and subsidize research that can lead to legitimizing the violence of abortion. Researchers have demonstrated that we can do effective scientific research and develop efficacious clinical treatments without harvesting tissue from aborted babies. It is also deeply offensive to millions of Americans for our tax dollars to be used for research that collaborates with an industry built on the taking of innocent lives. I call on the Biden Administration to instead fund research that does not rely upon body parts taken from innocent children killed through abortion.”
“The bodies of children killed by abortion deserve the same respect as that of any other person. Our government has no right to treat innocent abortion victims as a commodity that can be scavenged for body parts to be used in research. It is unethical to promote and subsidize research that can lead to legitimizing the violence of abortion. Researchers have demonstrated that we can do effective scientific research and develop efficacious clinical treatments without harvesting tissue from aborted babies. It is also deeply offensive to millions of Americans for our tax dollars to be used for research that collaborates with an industry built on the taking of innocent lives. I call on the Biden Administration to instead fund research that does not rely upon body parts taken from innocent children killed through abortion.”
April 20, 2021 WASHINGTON – On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a proposed rule to reverse “The Protect Life Rule,” a regulation issued by the Trump Administration in 2019 to clearly separate abortion from family planning in the federal Title X family planning program. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement expressing profound disappointment over this action:
“This policy change will allow the Title X program to become an indirect funding avenue for abortion providers. In spite of explicit prohibitions in Federal law and clear congressional intent that abortion may not be a part of this program, it has repeatedly been coopted by abortion supporters as a funding stream for organizations, programs, and facilities that directly promote and provide abortions.
“While the USCCB has always had strong objections to government promotion and funding of contraceptives, we have also long supported clear financial and physical separation between Title X-funded projects and programs and facilities where abortion is a method of family planning. This proposed rule is terrible policy; it would reintegrate abortion into what is supposed to be a pre-pregnancy family planning program. I strongly urge the Biden Administration to suspend this proposed rule and leave the Title X program as it was intended and authorized to be – a program entirely separate from abortion.”
“This policy change will allow the Title X program to become an indirect funding avenue for abortion providers. In spite of explicit prohibitions in Federal law and clear congressional intent that abortion may not be a part of this program, it has repeatedly been coopted by abortion supporters as a funding stream for organizations, programs, and facilities that directly promote and provide abortions.
“While the USCCB has always had strong objections to government promotion and funding of contraceptives, we have also long supported clear financial and physical separation between Title X-funded projects and programs and facilities where abortion is a method of family planning. This proposed rule is terrible policy; it would reintegrate abortion into what is supposed to be a pre-pregnancy family planning program. I strongly urge the Biden Administration to suspend this proposed rule and leave the Title X program as it was intended and authorized to be – a program entirely separate from abortion.”
April 20, 2021
WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that they will no longer be enforcing the “in-person dispensing requirement” for the chemical abortion pills during the remainder of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This requirement was put in place by public health officials over twenty years ago, under President Bill Clinton, as a necessary precondition to ensure that pregnant women do not have contraindications that would make the abortion pills even more unsafe and possibly deadly for the woman. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued the following statement:
“It is difficult to see the FDA’s decision to not enforce important safety protocols as anything other than callous capitulation to the requests of abortion activists without regard for the health and safety of the women involved. An in-person evaluation by a medical professional is necessary to accurately determine the age of the baby (abortion pills are only approved for use in the first 70 days), whether the pregnancy is ectopic (which the woman has no way of knowing on her own), and to test and treat for Rh-incompatibility between mother and baby. Without this information and proper treatment, a woman’s health, future fertility, and life are placed in serious jeopardy. With this decision, not only are women being sold the lie that abortion will solve their problems, but also that chemical abortion is a safe and easy way to go about it. By pushing women away from medical oversight, abortion advocates are luring women into isolated, unsafe, and medically unwise decisions. The inalienable dignity of women and their unborn children deserves so much more.”
WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that they will no longer be enforcing the “in-person dispensing requirement” for the chemical abortion pills during the remainder of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This requirement was put in place by public health officials over twenty years ago, under President Bill Clinton, as a necessary precondition to ensure that pregnant women do not have contraindications that would make the abortion pills even more unsafe and possibly deadly for the woman. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued the following statement:
“It is difficult to see the FDA’s decision to not enforce important safety protocols as anything other than callous capitulation to the requests of abortion activists without regard for the health and safety of the women involved. An in-person evaluation by a medical professional is necessary to accurately determine the age of the baby (abortion pills are only approved for use in the first 70 days), whether the pregnancy is ectopic (which the woman has no way of knowing on her own), and to test and treat for Rh-incompatibility between mother and baby. Without this information and proper treatment, a woman’s health, future fertility, and life are placed in serious jeopardy. With this decision, not only are women being sold the lie that abortion will solve their problems, but also that chemical abortion is a safe and easy way to go about it. By pushing women away from medical oversight, abortion advocates are luring women into isolated, unsafe, and medically unwise decisions. The inalienable dignity of women and their unborn children deserves so much more.”
Diocesan Pro-Life Directors, State Catholic Conference Directors
Greg Schleppenbach, Associate Director
February 2, 2021
Sample letters to pharmaceutical companies urging an end to abortion-derived cell lines
In our recent COVID vaccine statement and Q and A that we shared with you we mentioned that the Vatican urges everyone concerned for the sanctity of life to protest the use of abortion-derived cell lines and advocate for the development of vaccines with no connection to abortion. To make it easier for individuals to take this action, we are pleased to provide sample letters to various pharmaceutical companies that are using abortion-derived cell lines in the development and/or production of vaccines.
These letters and a variety of other educational resources from the Vatican and from the USCCB are all now in one location on our website. We ask you to share this information with your parishes and grassroots urging them to take action with these letters. If the timing works for your diocese, we suggest a couple possible target dates for urging this letter writing campaign—March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, or April 25, the Feast Day of St. Gianna Beretta Molla.
And please let us know if we can help further with this important advocacy to bring about an end to the use of abortion-derived cell lines.
Greg Schleppenbach, Associate Director
February 2, 2021
Sample letters to pharmaceutical companies urging an end to abortion-derived cell lines
In our recent COVID vaccine statement and Q and A that we shared with you we mentioned that the Vatican urges everyone concerned for the sanctity of life to protest the use of abortion-derived cell lines and advocate for the development of vaccines with no connection to abortion. To make it easier for individuals to take this action, we are pleased to provide sample letters to various pharmaceutical companies that are using abortion-derived cell lines in the development and/or production of vaccines.
These letters and a variety of other educational resources from the Vatican and from the USCCB are all now in one location on our website. We ask you to share this information with your parishes and grassroots urging them to take action with these letters. If the timing works for your diocese, we suggest a couple possible target dates for urging this letter writing campaign—March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, or April 25, the Feast Day of St. Gianna Beretta Molla.
And please let us know if we can help further with this important advocacy to bring about an end to the use of abortion-derived cell lines.
Diocesan Pro-Life Directors, State Catholic Conference Directors
Greg Schleppenbach, Associate Director
February 1, 2021
Executive Order on Mexico City Policy and Title X
Last Thursday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing U.S. taxpayer funds to be sent to organizations that both promote and provide abortions in developing countries. The policy which he overturned, known as both the Mexico City and the Promoting Life in Global Health policy, had separated abortion from family planning activities and ensured U.S. taxpayer dollars only went to organizations that agreed to provide health services in a way that respected the dignity of all persons.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, and chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, responded:
“It is grievous that one of President Biden’s frst official acts actively promotes the destruction of human lives in developing nations. This Executive Order is antithetical to reason, violates human dignity, and is incompatible with Catholic teaching. We and our brother bishops strongly oppose this action. We urge the President to use his office for good, prioritizing the most vulnerable, including unborn children. As the largest non-government health care provider in the world, the Catholic Church stands ready to work with him and his administration to promote global women’s health in a manner that furthers integral human development, safeguarding innate human rights and the dignity of every human life, beginning in the womb. To serve our brothers and sisters with respect, it is imperative that care begin with ensuring that the unborn are free from violence, recognizing every person as a child of God. We hope the new administration will work with us to meet these significant needs.”
In the same Executive Order, President Biden announced his intention to rescind the current regulation governing the Title X family planning program. The current regulation follows federal law by explaining that abortion cannot be part of a Title X family planning program either by using the same office space, sharing financing, or mandating referrals for abortion. The following statement was issued by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities:
“Although the Catholic Bishops have grave concerns about government promotion of contraceptives, we have long supported efforts to ensure that the provision and promotion of abortion is kept physically and financially out of the pre-pregnancy family planning services provided through the Title X program. Abortion takes the life of an already-conceived and growing child, and most Americans agree that abortion should not be used as a method of family planning or as a ‘back up’ for failed family planning.
“Title X, therefore, draws a bright line between abortion and family planning. In addition to the program explicitly prohibiting taxpayer funding for abortion, its authors further emphasized this intent by stating that, ‘the funds authorized under this legislation [shall] be used only to support preventive family planning services, population research, infertility services, and other related medical, informational, and educational activities.’ By rescinding this rule, the Administration will be forcing abortion into a pre-pregnancy program specifically designed to exclude abortion; a move which is immoral, impractical, and may also be unlawful.”
Below is additional information about these grievous actions and others announced in President Biden’s Executive Order last Thursday.
Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy
President Biden revoked the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy (PLGHA), also known as the Mexico City Policy.
PLGHA affirms respect for unborn life in foreign aid funding by requiring foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOS) to agree, as a condition of their receipt of US federal grant money, to neither perform nor promote abortion as a method of family planning overseas. President Trump reinstated and modernized the policy, applying it to all global health funds (approximately $8.8 billion taxpayer dollars). According to a Marist poll released earlier this week, Americans overwhelmingly oppose using taxpayer dollars to support abortion in other countries (77%).
Protect Life (Title X) Rule
President Biden directed the HHS Secretary to consider whether to suspend, revise or rescind the Protecting Life (Title X) Rule.
In February 2019, HHS released the final rule for the Title X family planning program, also known as the Protect Life Rule. The rule ensures compliance with the statutory prohibition against using Title X funds for programs where abortion is a method of family planning. An HHS press release is available here. Key provisions of the rule include:
· Prohibiting Title X projects from referring for abortion (Section 59.14)
· Requiring Title X entities to maintain physical and financial separation from abortion providers (Section 59.15)
· Requiring compliance with abuse reporting laws (Section 59.17)
Prior to the Protect Life Rule, Planned Parenthood received nearly $60 million in Title X funds every year. Under the rule, abortion providers who do not comply with the new regulations are not be eligible for Title X funds. The rule does not reduce Title X funds; it redirects them to providers that do not perform or promote abortions.
Renewed Funding for United Nations Population Fund
President Biden directed the Secretary of State to provide funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
President Trump directed funding away from UNFPA under the authority provided by the Kemp-Kasten Amendment. This amendment is a longstanding appropriations provision that restricts funds from organizations that the President determines support or participate in a coercive abortion program.
The Trump Administration’s determination explained that China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) oversees the implementation of China’s “two-child” birth limit law and the NHFPC is listed as a UNFPA partner in Country Program 8. The determination stated that UNFPA supports China’s family planning program, which includes coercive elements.
Despite UNFPA’s complicity in China’s continued human rights abuse, President Biden has chosen to resume funding.
Withdrawing from the Geneva Consensus Declaration
President Biden announced that the United States shall withdraw from the Geneva Consensus Declaration.
Signed by the U.S. and 31 other countries in 2020, the Geneva Consensus Declaration is an international agreement which, among other things, asserts that “in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning” and there is “no international right to abortion.”
Funding for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights
The memorandum directs the Secretary of State to “ensure that adequate funds are being directed to support women’s health needs globally, including sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.” These terms are often used euphemistically to refer to abortion.
Greg Schleppenbach, Associate Director
February 1, 2021
Executive Order on Mexico City Policy and Title X
Last Thursday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing U.S. taxpayer funds to be sent to organizations that both promote and provide abortions in developing countries. The policy which he overturned, known as both the Mexico City and the Promoting Life in Global Health policy, had separated abortion from family planning activities and ensured U.S. taxpayer dollars only went to organizations that agreed to provide health services in a way that respected the dignity of all persons.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, and chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, responded:
“It is grievous that one of President Biden’s frst official acts actively promotes the destruction of human lives in developing nations. This Executive Order is antithetical to reason, violates human dignity, and is incompatible with Catholic teaching. We and our brother bishops strongly oppose this action. We urge the President to use his office for good, prioritizing the most vulnerable, including unborn children. As the largest non-government health care provider in the world, the Catholic Church stands ready to work with him and his administration to promote global women’s health in a manner that furthers integral human development, safeguarding innate human rights and the dignity of every human life, beginning in the womb. To serve our brothers and sisters with respect, it is imperative that care begin with ensuring that the unborn are free from violence, recognizing every person as a child of God. We hope the new administration will work with us to meet these significant needs.”
In the same Executive Order, President Biden announced his intention to rescind the current regulation governing the Title X family planning program. The current regulation follows federal law by explaining that abortion cannot be part of a Title X family planning program either by using the same office space, sharing financing, or mandating referrals for abortion. The following statement was issued by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities:
“Although the Catholic Bishops have grave concerns about government promotion of contraceptives, we have long supported efforts to ensure that the provision and promotion of abortion is kept physically and financially out of the pre-pregnancy family planning services provided through the Title X program. Abortion takes the life of an already-conceived and growing child, and most Americans agree that abortion should not be used as a method of family planning or as a ‘back up’ for failed family planning.
“Title X, therefore, draws a bright line between abortion and family planning. In addition to the program explicitly prohibiting taxpayer funding for abortion, its authors further emphasized this intent by stating that, ‘the funds authorized under this legislation [shall] be used only to support preventive family planning services, population research, infertility services, and other related medical, informational, and educational activities.’ By rescinding this rule, the Administration will be forcing abortion into a pre-pregnancy program specifically designed to exclude abortion; a move which is immoral, impractical, and may also be unlawful.”
Below is additional information about these grievous actions and others announced in President Biden’s Executive Order last Thursday.
Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy
President Biden revoked the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy (PLGHA), also known as the Mexico City Policy.
PLGHA affirms respect for unborn life in foreign aid funding by requiring foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOS) to agree, as a condition of their receipt of US federal grant money, to neither perform nor promote abortion as a method of family planning overseas. President Trump reinstated and modernized the policy, applying it to all global health funds (approximately $8.8 billion taxpayer dollars). According to a Marist poll released earlier this week, Americans overwhelmingly oppose using taxpayer dollars to support abortion in other countries (77%).
Protect Life (Title X) Rule
President Biden directed the HHS Secretary to consider whether to suspend, revise or rescind the Protecting Life (Title X) Rule.
In February 2019, HHS released the final rule for the Title X family planning program, also known as the Protect Life Rule. The rule ensures compliance with the statutory prohibition against using Title X funds for programs where abortion is a method of family planning. An HHS press release is available here. Key provisions of the rule include:
· Prohibiting Title X projects from referring for abortion (Section 59.14)
· Requiring Title X entities to maintain physical and financial separation from abortion providers (Section 59.15)
· Requiring compliance with abuse reporting laws (Section 59.17)
Prior to the Protect Life Rule, Planned Parenthood received nearly $60 million in Title X funds every year. Under the rule, abortion providers who do not comply with the new regulations are not be eligible for Title X funds. The rule does not reduce Title X funds; it redirects them to providers that do not perform or promote abortions.
Renewed Funding for United Nations Population Fund
President Biden directed the Secretary of State to provide funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
President Trump directed funding away from UNFPA under the authority provided by the Kemp-Kasten Amendment. This amendment is a longstanding appropriations provision that restricts funds from organizations that the President determines support or participate in a coercive abortion program.
The Trump Administration’s determination explained that China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) oversees the implementation of China’s “two-child” birth limit law and the NHFPC is listed as a UNFPA partner in Country Program 8. The determination stated that UNFPA supports China’s family planning program, which includes coercive elements.
Despite UNFPA’s complicity in China’s continued human rights abuse, President Biden has chosen to resume funding.
Withdrawing from the Geneva Consensus Declaration
President Biden announced that the United States shall withdraw from the Geneva Consensus Declaration.
Signed by the U.S. and 31 other countries in 2020, the Geneva Consensus Declaration is an international agreement which, among other things, asserts that “in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning” and there is “no international right to abortion.”
Funding for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights
The memorandum directs the Secretary of State to “ensure that adequate funds are being directed to support women’s health needs globally, including sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.” These terms are often used euphemistically to refer to abortion.
WASHINGTON – Today, (January 28, 2021) President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing U.S. taxpayer funds to be sent to organizations that both promote and provide abortions in developing countries. The policy which he overturned, known as both the Mexico City and the Promoting Life in Global Health policy, had separated abortion from family planning activities and ensured U.S. taxpayer dollars only went to organizations that agreed to provide health services in a way that respected the dignity of all persons.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, and chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, responded:
“It is grievous that one of President Biden’s first official acts actively promotes the destruction of human lives in developing nations. This Executive Order is antithetical to reason, violates human dignity, and is incompatible with Catholic teaching. We and our brother bishops strongly oppose this action. We urge the President to use his office for good, prioritizing the most vulnerable, including unborn children. As the largest non-government health care provider in the world, the Catholic Church stands ready to work with him and his administration to promote global women’s health in a manner that furthers integral human development, safeguarding innate human rights and the dignity of every human life, beginning in the womb. To serve our brothers and sisters with respect, it is imperative that care begin with ensuring that the unborn are free from violence, recognizing every person as a child of God. We hope the new administration will work with us to meet these significant needs.”
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, and chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, responded:
“It is grievous that one of President Biden’s first official acts actively promotes the destruction of human lives in developing nations. This Executive Order is antithetical to reason, violates human dignity, and is incompatible with Catholic teaching. We and our brother bishops strongly oppose this action. We urge the President to use his office for good, prioritizing the most vulnerable, including unborn children. As the largest non-government health care provider in the world, the Catholic Church stands ready to work with him and his administration to promote global women’s health in a manner that furthers integral human development, safeguarding innate human rights and the dignity of every human life, beginning in the womb. To serve our brothers and sisters with respect, it is imperative that care begin with ensuring that the unborn are free from violence, recognizing every person as a child of God. We hope the new administration will work with us to meet these significant needs.”
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, (January 28, 2021) President Biden released a statement announcing his intention to rescind the current regulation governing the Title X family planning program. The current regulation follows federal law by explaining that abortion cannot be part of a Title X family planning program either by using the same office space, sharing financing, or mandating referrals for abortion. The following statement was issued by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities:
“Although the Catholic Bishops have grave concerns about government promotion of contraceptives, we have long supported efforts to ensure that the provision and promotion of abortion is kept physically and financially out of the pre-pregnancy family planning services provided through the Title X program. Abortion takes the life of an already-conceived and growing child, and most Americans agree that abortion should not be used as a method of family planning or as a ‘back up’ for failed family planning.
“Title X, therefore, draws a bright line between abortion and family planning. In addition to the program explicitly prohibiting taxpayer funding for abortion, its authors further emphasized this intent by stating that, ‘the funds authorized under this legislation [shall] be used only to support preventive family planning services, population research, infertility services, and other related medical, informational, and educational activities.’ By rescinding this rule, the Administration will be forcing abortion into a pre-pregnancy program specifically designed to exclude abortion; a move which is immoral, impractical, and may also be unlawful.”
“Although the Catholic Bishops have grave concerns about government promotion of contraceptives, we have long supported efforts to ensure that the provision and promotion of abortion is kept physically and financially out of the pre-pregnancy family planning services provided through the Title X program. Abortion takes the life of an already-conceived and growing child, and most Americans agree that abortion should not be used as a method of family planning or as a ‘back up’ for failed family planning.
“Title X, therefore, draws a bright line between abortion and family planning. In addition to the program explicitly prohibiting taxpayer funding for abortion, its authors further emphasized this intent by stating that, ‘the funds authorized under this legislation [shall] be used only to support preventive family planning services, population research, infertility services, and other related medical, informational, and educational activities.’ By rescinding this rule, the Administration will be forcing abortion into a pre-pregnancy program specifically designed to exclude abortion; a move which is immoral, impractical, and may also be unlawful.”
USCCB President's Statement on the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr.,
as 46th President of the United States of America
Statement on the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as 46th President of the United States of America from Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
My prayers are with our new President and his family today.
I am praying that God grant him wisdom and courage to lead this great nation and that God help him to meet the tests of these times, to heal the wounds caused by this pandemic, to ease our intense political and cultural divisions, and to bring people together with renewed dedication to America’s founding purposes, to be one nation under God committed to liberty and equality for all.
Catholic bishops are not partisan players in our nation’s politics. We are pastors responsible for the souls of millions of Americans and we are advocates for the needs of all our neighbors. In every community across the country, Catholic parishes, schools, hospitals, and ministries form an essential culture of compassion and care, serving women, children, and the elderly, the poor and sick, the imprisoned, the migrant, and the marginalized, no matter what their race or religion.
When we speak on issues in American public life, we try to guide consciences, and we offer principles. These principles are rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the social teachings of his Church. Jesus Christ revealed God’s plan of love for creation and revealed the truth about the human person, who is created in God’s image, endowed with God-given dignity, rights and responsibilities, and called to a transcendent destiny.
Based on these truths, which are reflected in the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, the bishops and Catholic faithful carry out Christ’s commandment to love God and love our neighbors by working for an America that protects human dignity, expands equality and opportunities for every person, and is open-hearted towards the suffering and weak.
For many years now, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has tried to help Catholics and others of good will in their reflections on political issues through a publication we call Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. The most recent edition addresses a wide range of concerns. Among them: abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, immigration, racism, poverty, care for the environment, criminal justice reform, economic development, and international peace.
On these and other issues, our duty to love and our moral principles lead us to prudential judgments and positions that do not align neatly with the political categories of left or right or the platforms of our two major political parties. We work with every President and every Congress. On some issues we find ourselves more on the side of Democrats, while on others we find ourselves standing with Republicans. Our priorities are never partisan. We are Catholics first, seeking only to follow Jesus Christ faithfully and to advance his vision for human fraternity and community.
I look forward to working with President Biden and his administration, and the new Congress. As with every administration, there will be areas where we agree and work closely together and areas where we will have principled disagreement and strong opposition.
Working with President Biden will be unique, however, as he is our first president in 60 years to profess the Catholic faith. In a time of growing and aggressive secularism in American culture, when religious believers face many challenges, it will be refreshing to engage with a President who clearly understands, in a deep and personal way, the importance of religious faith and institutions. Mr. Biden’s piety and personal story, his moving witness to how his faith has brought him solace in times of darkness and tragedy, his longstanding commitment to the Gospel’s priority for the poor — all of this I find hopeful and inspiring.
At the same time, as pastors, the nation’s bishops are given the duty of proclaiming the Gospel in all its truth and power, in season and out of season, even when that teaching is inconvenient or when the Gospel’s truths run contrary to the directions of the wider society and culture. So, I must point out that our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender. Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences.
Our commitments on issues of human sexuality and the family, as with our commitments in every other area — such as abolishing the death penalty or seeking a health care system and economy that truly serves the human person — are guided by Christ’s great commandment to love and to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, especially the most vulnerable.
For the nation’s bishops, the continued injustice of abortion remains the “preeminent priority.” Preeminent does not mean “only.” We have deep concerns about many threats to human life and dignity in our society. But as Pope Francis teaches, we cannot stay silent when nearly a million unborn lives are being cast aside in our country year after year through abortion.
Abortion is a direct attack on life that also wounds the woman and undermines the family. It is not only a private matter, it raises troubling and fundamental questions of fraternity, solidarity, and inclusion in the human community. It is also a matter of social justice. We cannot ignore the reality that abortion rates are much higher among the poor and minorities, and that the procedure is regularly used to eliminate children who would be born with disabilities.
Rather than impose further expansions of abortion and contraception, as he has promised, I am hopeful that the new President and his administration will work with the Church and others of good will. My hope is that we can begin a dialogue to address the complicated cultural and economic factors that are driving abortion and discouraging families. My hope, too, is that we can work together to finally put in place a coherent family policy in this country, one that acknowledges the crucial importance of strong marriages and parenting to the well-being of children and the stability of communities. If the President, with full respect for the Church’s religious freedom, were to engage in this conversation, it would go a long way toward restoring the civil balance and healing our country’s needs.
President Biden’s call for national healing and unity is welcome on all levels. It is urgently needed as we confront the trauma in our country caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the social isolation that has only worsened the intense and long-simmering divisions among our fellow citizens.
As believers, we understand that healing is a gift that we can only receive from the hand of God. We know, too, that real reconciliation requires patient listening to those who disagree with us and a willingness to forgive and move beyond desires for reprisal. Christian love calls us to love our enemies and bless those who oppose us, and to treat others with the same compassion that we want for ourselves.
We are all under the watchful eye of God, who alone knows and can judge the intentions of our hearts. I pray that God will give our new President, and all of us, the grace to seek the common good with all sincerity.
I entrust all our hopes and anxieties in this new moment to the tender heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ and the patroness of this exceptional nation. May she guide us in the ways of peace and obtain for us wisdom and the grace of a true patriotism and love of country.
Archbishop responds to Pelosi's remarks on pro-life voters
On Jan. 18, 2021, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized pro-life voters who voted for Donald Trump on the abortion issue, saying their votes cause her “great grief as a Catholic” and accusing them of “being willing to sell the whole democracy down the river for that one issue.” San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone issued the following statement in response:
To begin with the obvious: Nancy Pelosi does not speak for the Catholic Church. She speaks as a high-level important government leader, and as a private citizen. And on the question of the equal dignity of human life in the womb, she also speaks in direct contradiction to a fundamental human right that Catholic teaching has consistently championed for 2,000 years.
Christians have always understood that the commandment, ‘Thou shall not kill,’ applies to all life, including life in the womb. Around the end of the first century the Letter of Barnabas states: “You shall not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shall you destroy it after it is born’ (#19). One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five years later, the Second Vatican Council affirmed: ‘Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes’ ("Gaudium et spes," n. 51).
Pope Francis continues this unbroken teaching. Addressing participants in the conference "Yes to Life! - Taking Care of the Precious Gift of Life in Its Frailty" on May 25, 2019, he condemned abortion in the strongest possible terms: ‘is it licit to eliminate a human life to solve a problem? ... It is not licit. Never, never eliminate a human life … to solve a problem. Abortion is never the answer that women and families are looking for.’ And just yesterday (January 20, 2021) Archbishop Gomez, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, reiterated the declaration of the U.S. bishops that abortion is for Catholics the ‘preeminent priority.’ In doing so, he acted rightly and collaboratively in his role as USCCB President, and I am grateful to him for doing so.
Preeminent does not mean "only," of course. There are certainly many evils we must confront and many goods we must pursue. In his inaugural speech yesterday, President Biden gave a moving call to unity and healing. He offered what I would call a ‘Litany of Compassion’ – bringing before the eyes of the nation the suffering of people across a wide spectrum of issues. In my experience, advocates for unborn children also work diligently to be of service in many of these causes as well. Speaker Pelosi has chosen this week to impugn the motives of millions of Catholics and others for choosing to make voting on the issue of abortion their priority and accuses them of "selling out democracy." This is not the language of unity and healing. She owes these voters an apology.
I myself will not presume to know what was in the minds of Catholic voters when they voted for the Presidential candidate of their choice, no matter who their preferred candidate was. There are many issues of very grave moral consequence that Catholics must weigh in good conscience when they vote. But one thing is clear: No Catholic in good conscience can favor abortion. "Right to choose" is a smokescreen for perpetuating an entire industry that profits from one of the most heinous evils imaginable. Our land is soaked with the blood of the innocent, and it must stop.
That is why, as Catholics, we will continue to speak out on behalf of those who have no voice to speak for themselves and reach out to, comfort and support those who are suffering the scars of the abortion experience. We will do so, until our land is finally rid of this despicable evil.
On Jan. 18, 2021, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized pro-life voters who voted for Donald Trump on the abortion issue, saying their votes cause her “great grief as a Catholic” and accusing them of “being willing to sell the whole democracy down the river for that one issue.” San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone issued the following statement in response:
To begin with the obvious: Nancy Pelosi does not speak for the Catholic Church. She speaks as a high-level important government leader, and as a private citizen. And on the question of the equal dignity of human life in the womb, she also speaks in direct contradiction to a fundamental human right that Catholic teaching has consistently championed for 2,000 years.
Christians have always understood that the commandment, ‘Thou shall not kill,’ applies to all life, including life in the womb. Around the end of the first century the Letter of Barnabas states: “You shall not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shall you destroy it after it is born’ (#19). One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five years later, the Second Vatican Council affirmed: ‘Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes’ ("Gaudium et spes," n. 51).
Pope Francis continues this unbroken teaching. Addressing participants in the conference "Yes to Life! - Taking Care of the Precious Gift of Life in Its Frailty" on May 25, 2019, he condemned abortion in the strongest possible terms: ‘is it licit to eliminate a human life to solve a problem? ... It is not licit. Never, never eliminate a human life … to solve a problem. Abortion is never the answer that women and families are looking for.’ And just yesterday (January 20, 2021) Archbishop Gomez, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, reiterated the declaration of the U.S. bishops that abortion is for Catholics the ‘preeminent priority.’ In doing so, he acted rightly and collaboratively in his role as USCCB President, and I am grateful to him for doing so.
Preeminent does not mean "only," of course. There are certainly many evils we must confront and many goods we must pursue. In his inaugural speech yesterday, President Biden gave a moving call to unity and healing. He offered what I would call a ‘Litany of Compassion’ – bringing before the eyes of the nation the suffering of people across a wide spectrum of issues. In my experience, advocates for unborn children also work diligently to be of service in many of these causes as well. Speaker Pelosi has chosen this week to impugn the motives of millions of Catholics and others for choosing to make voting on the issue of abortion their priority and accuses them of "selling out democracy." This is not the language of unity and healing. She owes these voters an apology.
I myself will not presume to know what was in the minds of Catholic voters when they voted for the Presidential candidate of their choice, no matter who their preferred candidate was. There are many issues of very grave moral consequence that Catholics must weigh in good conscience when they vote. But one thing is clear: No Catholic in good conscience can favor abortion. "Right to choose" is a smokescreen for perpetuating an entire industry that profits from one of the most heinous evils imaginable. Our land is soaked with the blood of the innocent, and it must stop.
That is why, as Catholics, we will continue to speak out on behalf of those who have no voice to speak for themselves and reach out to, comfort and support those who are suffering the scars of the abortion experience. We will do so, until our land is finally rid of this despicable evil.
Videos from Bishops, Priests, Catholic Speakers concerning present time issues.
The 40 Days for Life Campaign is a period of prayer and fasting, of pro-life community outreach and presence at the killing centers.
Fr. Frank gives words of encouragement to all participants. Priests for Life is the primary partner of this campaign, and our pastoral team will visit many of the cities that are conducting this effort, leading them in prayer and encouraging their activities. Priests for Life has also provided many of the daily prayer devotionals that are used by 40 Days participants. Here are some of our resources you can use at your 40 Days Prayer Vigils:
The Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a project of Priests for Life and Anglicans for Life, is mobilizing women and men who have lost children to abortion, and enabling them to speak out about their pain and healing. Their presence at the abortion mills during this campaign provides a powerful witness against abortion. Moreover, Priests for Life is making a special call to clergy to preach on abortion, to mobilize people to come in prayer to the abortion mills, and to have every parish in the nation praying for the conversion and closing of abortion mills - not only during the 40 Days Campaign, but all year round. Priests for Life has provided the priests, pastors, and deacons of the country with a simple action plan for their congregations: 1. Have each member and family of the Church pray the daily prayer to end abortion, found at www.PrayerCampaign.org. 2. Sign up for liturgical resources to be emailed to you each week; request them at clergy@priestsforlife.org. Find them online at www.priestsforlife.org/liturgy 3. Preach on abortion using the guidelines given in the weekly liturgical resources email mentioned above. 4. Each Sunday, have a paragraph on pro-life themes in the bulletin, as provided for each Sunday in the weekly liturgical resources email mentioned above. 5. For the General intercessions at Mass, use the prayers found for each Sunday in the weekly liturgical resources email mentioned above. 6. On one of the Sundays during the campaign, provide in the bulletin one of the full page inserts offered free of charge at www.priestsforlife.org/bulletin. 7. Prepare your people for the elections. Find more information at www.ProLifeVote.com. 8. Publicize to your people the resources for healing after abortion found at www.RachelsVineyard.org. Utilize the bulletin, parish website, pulpit announcements, parish mailings, and literature in the vestibule. 9. Share with your people the testimonies of the men and women who have suffered the loss of children through abortion and have found healing. You can use the testimonies atwww.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org or contact us to arrange for someone to come to share his or her testimony in person. 10. Invite a member of our pastoral team to come to the parish to assist the activation and/or growth of the parish pro-life committee, which can be the center of pro-life activity for the parish throughout the year. Friends, the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. As we become more activated during this special season, and all during the year, we will see the abortion industry retreat and the Victory of Life unfold more clearly than ever! Fr. Frank Pavone This edition of the Life Issues Forum is available in English and Spanish, and has been posted to our website.
The Life Issues Forum is a bi-weekly column by Pro-Life Secretariat staff addressing the latest issues on the culture of life. Columns may be reprinted as they appear here (in full and without alteration) without further permission. In Christ, The Pro-Life Secretariat LIFE ISSUES FORUM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Roe v. Wade: Questions and Answers September 7, 2018 USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities Roe v. Wade is well known as the 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States. With the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy--and as the confirmation hearings for his replacement have moved forward--Roe v. Wade has once again found itself at the center of public debate. Pro-abortion groups continue to spread misinformation about Roe, fearing its eventual reversal. Accurate answers to some common questions can help us to better understand Roe and to educate others. What Did Roe v. Wade Do? It said the right of privacy (not mentioned in the text of the Constitution) "is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy." The Justices ruled that a state may not restrict abortion at all in the first three months of pregnancy (first trimester). It may establish guidelines only to protect the mother's health during the next three months (second trimester). After "viability," when the unborn child could survive if delivered (which the Court placed at 24 to 28 weeks of gestation), the state may prohibit abortion unless it is deemed necessary to preserve the mother's "life or health." Did the Court Find That Life Doesn't Begin Until Birth? No. It argued that uses of the word "person" in the Constitution do not seem to include the unborn. Then, citing wide disagreement as to when human life begins, the Court said it "need not resolve" this difficult question. Instead of considering the scientific evidence that life begins at conception, or even allowing legislatures to protect those who have never been proven to be anything but human beings, the Court decided to treat unborn children merely as "potential life"--and to prevent the people or their elected representatives from determining otherwise. Do All Legal Experts Approve of Roe? No. Roe has been criticized by several Supreme Court justices and even by legal experts who favor legalized abortion. Justice Byron White called it "an exercise of raw judicial power." Yale law professor John Hart Ely has said that Roe is "a very bad decision .... It is bad because it is bad constitutional law, or rather because it is not constitutional law and gives almost no sense of an obligation to try to be." Edward Lazarus, former clerk to Justice Harry Blackmun who wrote the Roe opinion, says that "Roe, as constitutional interpretation, is virtually impossible to defend." Why Are Abortion Advocates So Strongly Committed to Retaining Roe? Roe v. Wade is increasingly recognized as bad law, bad medicine, and bad social policy. Most Americans object to an unlimited right to abortion. Therefore, such a policy can be kept in place only by extraordinary measures--by insisting that Roe is untouchable, regardless of the evidence. Abortion advocates know that any return of this issue to the democratic process would produce a very different policy from what the Court created. But false judicial doctrines do not have a right to live. Human beings do. For more information on Roe v. Wade including the full listing of questions and answers, visit: www.usccb.org/roe. This issue of Life Issues Forum has been adapted and excerpted from the July 2018 USCCB Fact Sheet by the same name:http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/upload/Roe-v-Wade-Q-s-and-A-s_Final_2018.pdf. 
PARIS, April 5, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) -- Cardinal Robert Sarah says abortion is the “greatest tragedy of our time,” and the pro-life cause is “part of the final battle…between God and Satan.” Interestingly, Sarah’s speech came three days after Pope Francis called the problems faced by refugees and migrants the “greatest tragedy since that of World War II.”
“The most striking objective sign indicating that we are going into the abyss, a bottomless pit, is the tragic force of the rejection of life,” he said during a March 25 lecture in France. That day, on which Catholics celebrate the conception of Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mary, also marks the International Day of the Unborn Child. Cardinal Sarah said killing a preborn child is made all the more tragic by the fact that many people no longer view it as a “crime,” since they have been “anesthetized” to its “horror” by “financial and media powers.” “It is really horrible, criminal, and sacrilegious,” he said, speaking of preborn children who are specifically targeted for abortion because of a defect. The cardinal, who is the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, made his remarks at an event in Paris commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the death of Servant of God Dr. Jerome Lejeune. 
AMORIS LÆTITIA OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
September 1, 2015 The relevant portion of the Pope's letter today is as follows:
"One of the serious problems of our time is clearly the changed relationship with respect to life. A widespread and insensitive mentality has led to the loss of the proper personal and social sensitivity to welcome new life. The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an act entails. Many others, on the other hand, although experiencing this moment as a defeat, believe that they have no other option. I think in particular of all the women who have resorted to abortion. I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal. I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision. What has happened is profoundly unjust; yet only understanding the truth of it can enable one not to lose hope. The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father. For this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it. May priests fulfill this great task by expressing words of genuine welcome combined with a reflection that explains the gravity of the sin committed, besides indicating a path of authentic conversion by which to obtain the true and generous forgiveness of the Father who renews all with his presence." The full letter is at http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2015/09/01/0637/01386.html#ing 
Bishop Randolph Calvo
Father Dan Hussey
Elko News Please see attached letter to the Elko Daily Free Press. Lee Hoffman is a parish member of St. Joseph's. God bless, Fr. Dan 
Father Tom Fransiscus
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HUMAN LIFE ACTION
Dear Friends, The Trump Administration has proposed a new pro-life rule. Can you raise your voice to support it? Here's the story: Many Americans using an Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plan don't know if their plan covers elective abortion. Though the law requires health insurance companies with plans that cover elective abortion to collect a separate payment for abortion coverage, this has often been ignored. To help fix this problem, the Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a new rule that would require insurance companies to send their customers a separate monthly bill for the part of their health premium that covers abortion. That way, everyone with a plan that covers elective abortion knows just where their money goes. Many of you may be wondering, why can't we just change the law to prohibit use of taxpayer dollars to pay for health plans that cover abortion? That is still the goal, but in the meantime, until Congress takes that action, this "Separate Payments" rule will allow consumers to see more clearly when they are paying for elective abortions and to seek a plan that does not cover it. It may also motivate companies to offer more plans WITHOUT abortion coverage. For more background information on the Separate Payments Rule and why it is necessary, please click here (link to FAQ). The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has written formal comments applauding the government, and we invite you to add yours as well. Pro-abortion groups will write in as many negative comments about the rule as they can. All the more reason to raise your voice in support of it! Comments on the proposed rule are being accepted by the Administration through January 8, 2019, so please write them as soon as you can. Thank you, and have a blessed new year! CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION NOW! FAQS on the "Separate Payments Rule" How can government plans from the Affordable Care Act cover abortion? Isn't taxpayer funding for abortion already against the law? When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law in 2010, one major piece of the Hyde amendment (i.e., the law that prevents taxpayer funding of abortion) was missing from it. The ACA omitted the prohibition on use of federal funds to pay for health plans that cover elective abortions. Instead, the ACA required health insurance companies with plans that cover elective abortions to collect a separate payment (at least $1 per month) from each enrollee for coverage of those abortions. And the insurance company must deposit these separate elective abortion payments into a separate account that only includes those payments, and that is used exclusively to pay for elective abortions. So the rule is already part of the law. Why didn't it work the first time? The separate payment provision is simply being ignored by many health insurers, according to a 2014 Government Accountability Office Report. This may be because when the ACA was first put into effect, the Obama Administration failed to enforce that part of the law. As a result, many pro-life Americans seeking health insurance under the ACA are likely unaware that their plan covers abortions and that they are paying an additional premium to pay for them. In order to fix this problem, the Department of Health and Human Services has proposed new regulations directing issuers of health insurance plans to follow this provision of the law. The regulations require issuers to send a separate monthly bill to the consumer for the portion of the premium that covers abortion. In other words, the new rule will remind health insurers about the law, and give them reason to believe the government will make them comply with it this time. Why don't we just change the law to prevent use of government money to pay for plans that cover abortion? Ultimately, we are continuing to work to get the ACA amended to prohibit use of federal funds to pay for health plans that cover abortion. But it is Congress, not the Administration, who must take that action. Until they do, adoption of this "Separate Payments" rule will allow consumers to see more clearly when they are paying for elective abortions and to seek a plan that does not cover it. It may also motivate companies to offer more plans WITHOUT abortion coverage. 
President, His Eminence Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo,
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston 
Cardinal Dolan launches a new program Respect Life Program for 2017 -2018 "Be Not Afraid"
"There are times we may doubt the value of our own lives or falter at the thought of welcoming and embracing the life of another. But...He makes all things beautiful. He makes all things new. He is the God of redemption," the Cardinal said. "That's powerful. That's something to hold onto." "As followers of Jesus Christ, ...we are called to be missionary disciples...commissioned to reach out to one another, especially to the weak and vulnerable," Cardinal Dolan said. Begun in 1972, the Respect Life Program highlights the value and dignity of human life throughout the year. Materials are intended for use across the spectrum of Catholic life, work, ministry, and education. The 2017-18 Respect Life Program features six articles on a range of issues. They address practical steps to build a culture of life, compelling reasons to oppose assisted suicide, principles to consider at the end of life, an overview of the role of conscience, offering genuine support to a friend who's considering abortion, and a Catholic Q & A on the death penalty. Many digital and print resources are offered, including toolkitsfor priests and deacons, parishes, Catholic education, Respect Life ministry, youth ministry, young adult ministry, faith formation, and communications. The full text of Cardinal Dolan's statement is available along with many other resources at www.usccb.org/respectlife. 
From Father Chuck Durante, Pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Parish, Carson City, Nevada ~ Taken from October 11, 2015 bulletin:
October is typically designated as Respect Life month as well as the month of the rosary, since October 7th is the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. It is a good opportunity to set aside some time to pray the rosary, especially to pray for a greater respect for life in our society and in our world. We are blessed with a teaching, often referred to as the "consistent ethic of life," which holds all human life is sacred from womb to tomb. We believe that life begins at conception and that there is nothing that intervenes, from that time through the point of natural death, to change or interrupt the sanctity of that life. In his encyclical, Laudato Si, On Care for our Common Home, Pope Francis writes that: "human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbour and with the earth itself." (66) Calling upon both the teachings of St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis has continued the teaching tradition of a strong stance on the interconnectedness of life. We stand opposed to abortion in the beginning of life and we stand opposed to suicide, assisted or otherwise, even in the case of terminal illness, at the end of life. We stand opposed to unjust war and we stand opposed to the death penalty. We stand for lifting up all those who live in abject poverty and we stand for caring for the earth and all its creatures. Pope Francis has called for a renewed dialogue about how all this gets done. In the future I hope to offer an opportunity for group parish study of his encyclical as well as to provide for a bulletin insert or two that presents a good summary of it. As people of faith we are both strengthened and challenged by these teachings. Let us dialogue together, as a parish and among our families and friends, about how we participate in respecting life and ensuring that our civic and corporate leaders do the same. 
September 1. 2015
Fr. Pavone welcomes Church’s “eagerness to reconcile those who have had abortions” NEW YORK -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and also Pastoral Director of the world's largest ministry for healing after abortion, Rachel's Vineyard, and also of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, the largest mobilization of those who have had abortions, issued the following statement this morning: "All of us at Priests for Life, Rachel's Vineyard, and Silent No More welcome the letter our Holy Father issued today, indicating his compassionate concern for those who have had abortions, and making it easier for them to obtain the absolution of a priest. This step does not mean that forgiveness wasn't available before. However, it simplifies the process outlined in Church law whereby, in certain circumstances, the priest needs to get authorization before giving absolution. In the Jubilee Year, priests will not need to delay that absolution, provided there is repentance. "We welcome this concrete expression of the Church's eagerness to reconcile those who have had abortions. We who oppose abortion do not oppose those who have had abortions; rather, we welcome them with mercy and compassion. A very large part of our work at Priests for Life is to extend the urgent invitation to healing. We oversee the work of Rachel's Vineyard (www.RachelsVineyard.org), a retreat program which constitutes the world's largest ministry of healing after abortion and which enjoys the personal and enthusiastic support of Pope Francis. “Moreover, through our Silent No More Awareness Campaign, through which mothers, fathers, and entire families witness to the pain of being involved in abortion and the joy of God's healing, we echo that invitation to healing through the testimonies of those who have found it. They share these testimonies in churches, at rallies, and in the media (see www.SilentNoMore.com). "I have spoken with Pope Francis on five occasions specifically about our work of healing those who have had abortions, and healing even abortionists who have killed tens of thousands of children. We at Priests for Life will continue to train and encourage our brother priests to be the heralds of mercy and compassion in the face of abortion. Truth and compassion are not in tension; they are both aspects of the same God. To treat someone with compassion includes sharing with them honestly the truth they need to hear, and to be fully truthful includes revealing the reality of compassion and mercy," stated Fr. Pavone. Fr. Pavone: Latest video highlights tight relationship between Planned Parenthood and procurement companies NEW YORK -- Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and author of Abolishing Abortion, released the following statement today regarding the latest undercover video focusing on the sale of baby body parts: “The ninth undercover video of Planned Parenthood released by our colleagues at the Center for Medical Progress shows the tight financial relationship between abortion clinics and companies that buy the body parts of the babies killed there. This video focuses on the oldest such company, Advanced Bioscience Resources, Inc. (ABR) and its relationship with Planned Parenthood Pacific Southwest. The interviews clearly attest to how the procurement companies pay the clinics, and how the sharing of personnel cements the relationship between the clinics and the procurement companies. “The bottom line is simple. To deny the fact that Planned Parenthood sells body parts, alters the abortion procedure to do so, and is involved in this illegal activity at the highest corporate level, is now tantamount to asserting that the Earth is flat. The facts are not only in these videos, but also in the letter that Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood, wrote to Congress on August 27 “As Congress convenes again next week, Priests for Life, and numerous other national and local pro-life organizations, will press our elected officials to do their job and investigate Planned Parenthood and hold the organization accountable for its actions.” To see the latest video, and all the previous undercover releases, go to www.babybodyparts.com Priests for Life PO Box 141172 Staten Island, NY 10314 Phone: 888-PFL-3448 718-980-4400 Fax: 718-980-6515 Email: mail@priestsforlife.org www.priestsforlife.org Do you know others who may be interested in our work? Please refer them to us! What does the church teach Assisted Suicide?
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/assisted-suicide/to-live-each-day/index.cfm#teaching
Church Teaching
From the Desk of Fr. Mark Hanifan
As shown in the April 5/6 Bulletin of St. Albert's the Great. Below article from “Patients Rights Council”, 2014 Volume 28, No. 2; “Belgium does the unthinkable, then shocked at the world’s reaction." Belgium's 2002 permissive euthanasia law has so altered the country's collective mind-set that many Belgians can no longer distinguish the unthinkable from the thinkable when it comes to end-of-life issues. The unthinkable in this case is the medicalized killing of sick children. On February 13, 2014, the Belgian Parliament's House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (86-44,with 12 abstentions) to remove all age limits from the existing law so that children could be euthanized along with adults. The Senate had passed the measure last December by a 50 to 17 majority.Supporters of the law's expansion justified it by saying there are strict guidelines regulating the termination of children's lives. A qualified child must request an induced death and have a terminal and incurable illness with death expected "within a brief period." Also, just like with adults, the child must have "constant and unbearable" suffering. But, unlike adults, the child would have to undergo an evaluation by a psychiatrist or psychologist to verify that the child is capable ofdiscernment and understands whatdeath means. Lastly, the child's parents and doctors must agree to his orher life being terminated. Senator Philippe Maheux, a doctor and authorof the 2002 euthanasia law, called theaddition of children "the ultimate gesture of humanity." [Expatica.com,2/13/14; AP, 2/13/14] But Belgium's history with actual adult euthanasia practice reveals just how easily "strict guidelines" are ignored in the name of compassion. Three recent cases attest to that fact:the deaf Verbessen twins, 45, who were given lethal injections to avoid suffering the likelihood of blindness; Nathan Verhelst, 44, who was euthanized because he was not happy with the results of his sex change surgery; and an anorexic woman, known only as Ann G., who was euthanized because she was distraught after her doctor sexually abused her and got away with it. (See Update 2013-4 for more on these cases.) While it was expected that the overly elastic euthanasia law would be expanded to include minors, there were some who strongly opposed it. Lawmaker Els van Hoof argued, "[Children's] brains aren't as developed on an emotional, moral or cognitive level as an adult, and they are more depending on the influence of authority, and authority in this case would be doctors or parents." A 2010 functional MRI study at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, found that major changes in thearea of the brain responsible for decisionmaking and understanding the consequences of actions do not level off until aperson's early 20s. [USA Today, 2/13/14;New Scientist, 2/13/14] Sonja Develter, a Belgian palliativecare nurse who has cared for more than200 terminally-ill children, said, "I neverhad a child ask to end their life." Thenshe added, "But requests for euthanasiadid often come from parents who were emotionally exhausted after seeing their children fight for their lives so long." She went on to say that children's euthanasia decisions would be based on what they thought their families wanted to hear,especially if they felt they were burdens to family members and caregivers.An open letter signed by 175 Belgian pediatricians argued that changing the law "responds to no real demand" on the part of sick children. According to the pediatricians, most medical teams treating terminally ill children will agree that these patients do not on their own voluntarily ask for euthanasia. [CNN, 1/13/14] But child euthanasia is essentially anon-issue in Belgian society. A recent poll indicated that 75 percent of the public supported changing the law to include children. As the Belgian newspaper De Morgen opined, "For the first time since 1830 we have evolved to being ethically progressive leaders. We can be quite proud of that." The rest of the world, however, didnot see it that way. For example, the German newspaper Die Welt ran an articlestating, "Belgium has allowed the killing on demand of terminally ill children and has headed for the ethical abyss. A statewhich allows something like this is a failing state." U.S. publisher Steve Forbeswrote, "We are on the malignant slippery slope to becoming a society like that envisioned by Nazi Germany." [Reuters, 2/14/14; USA Today, 2/13/14] Members of Russia's parliament have asked the Foreign Ministry to ban the adoption of Russian children by Belgian citizens since"there is a danger for our kids to losetheir lives in a foreign country." [rt.com,2/17/14] And the American College ofPediatricians (AMCP) issued a statement that read in part, "The killing of infantsand children can never be endorsed bythe [AMCP] and should never be endorsed by any other ethical, medical orsocial entity." [AMCP Press Release,2/18/14] The world's reaction shocked Belgians, especially those in the media. The chief editor of the large Belgian newspaper De Standaard summed it up. "I'm annoyed at hearing 'you'll kill children' in the foreign media," he said. "We don'tuse that kind of language anymore. It's avery different debate on a different level." [Reuters, 2/14/14] Apparently 12 years of killing adult patients has so numbed and blinded the Belgians that they no longer see what the rest of the world does - that the unthinkable is truly unthinkable. B Father Chuck Durante on the "morning after pill"
We have heard the news about making the so-called "morning after pill available over the counter to girls and women of all ages by order of a federal court in April. This is a controversial move on several counts, including the danger of ending a pregnancy before implantation of the embryo. Our Church teaching is that life begins at conception, not implantation. While I am no expert on the "morning after pill" (also known as Plan B or, more formally, levonorgestrel) I believe it is far from clear that it only prevents conception. It more often functions in this way however it also functions to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg, a life begun, thereby a form of abortion. I urge all of us to learn more and pray about this creeping disregard for when life begins and to stand opposed publicly and within our families and among our friends to any drug or action that takes a life which God has begun.
Archbishop Chaput
The trial of Kermit Gosnell is over. His convictions will surprise very few. But nothing can bring back the innocent children he killed, or make up for the vulnerable women he exploited. We should keep the repugnance of his clinic conditions sharp in our memories, and we should remember the media's inadequacy in covering his case, because Kermit Gosnell is not an exception. Others just like him run abortion mills throughout our country.
We need to stop cloaking the ugliness of abortion with misnomers like "proper medical coverage" or "choice." It's violence of the most intimate sort, and it needs to end. Archbishop Chaput's latest column was published today on CatholicPhilly.com. It focuses on the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell. I'm sharing a link with you here. http://catholicphilly.com/2013/04/think-tank/weekly-message-from-archbishop-chaput/the-gosnell-story-and-its-lessons/ Gird yourself with the Armor of GodThe Armor of God - Ephesians 6
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Greetings from India
Greetings of joy from Father N. Bala from india.
I have received your message through email and letter and received checks for Masses and for mission. I spoke to you over the phone and informed you about this. I distributed the pamphlets to my parishioners and they are already doing this service in the parish. They will contact you soon. I came to work for one year and completed my term and came back home to India. Please continue to correspond with me through my email. In India also we have this project already and I am involved in this for a long time. Anyway thanks a lot for your letter, checks and information about anti-abortion. I will pray for your mission and God will bless all your undertakings. Please pray for my mission too. Very soon I will be giving my new address too. Thanks a lot, Prayerful wishes. Fr. Bala Showraiah 
Friar Francisco Nahoe OFM Conv
Friar Francisco Nahoe OFM Conv
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS CATHEDRAL
3 1 0 WEST 2ND STREET RENO, NEVADA 89503 BRIEF REFLECTIONS ON CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE IN A PLURALISTIC DEMOCRACY CURRENT POLLING suggests that American Catholics break right down the middle on their support for one or the other candidate of the two major parties in this November’s election. Both the election itself and the Catholic vote are too close to call. Interestingly, recent commentary in the British Catholic press claims that the US election is too close to call because the Catholic vote is too close to call. This ought not to surprise us, as one-in-four voters self-identifies as Catholic. Nonetheless, when it come to practicing Catholics, that is, those who attend Mass on Sundays, who remember that there are such things as Holy Days of Obligation, who fast during Lent, who pray daily, and who observe the Precepts of the Church, the number of voters is much smaller indeed – less half the total that self-identifies as Catholic. If the teaching of the Church with regard to the Right to Life does not swing this particular ballot, it will indicate more the collapse of long-term moral formation and catechesis on the part of the Church than a failure of this year’s strategies for messaging or politicking. The truth is, Catholics could swing every single election, if they were not so dismally divided by misinformation and naive commitment to partisan politics. If Catholics were to vote as a block, based on the priorities of the clear moral teaching of the Church, not only would we have reversed Roe v Wade by now, but we would have begun seriously and fruitfully to address the host of other social problems deriving from poverty, inequity, war, violence, corruption and apathy that Gospel values compel us to care about. Instead, the potential for concrete social good coming from a unified Catholic vote has been completely wrecked by a de facto divide-and-conquer policy which is part and parcel of partisan politics in a two-party system. The first most important thing for Catholics to do is to detach themselves emotionally from partisan commitments as such. The platforms of any political party change from year to year, but the moral ground of the Gospel never changes. Let’s start there. + Pax et bonum, Friar Francisco Nahoe OFM Conv 23 September 2012 Catholics and the Coming Election – Part 2 LAST WEEK, I wrote about the de facto divide-and-conquer technique that has been used to nullify the social force for good of a united Catholic vote in America and I suggested that this is a permanent feature of partisan politics in a two-party system. If I am correct, this means that it will always be counterproductive for the Catholic to identify too closely with any political party. Instead, we should think of ourselves as a voting commodity in the marketplace of the pluralistic democracy. Thus, a political party, any political party, should have to compete vigorously for Catholic votes. If political parties want the support of Catholic voters, then they should be prepared to advocate and defend, rather than denigrate and attack, Catholic moral values as they are authentically proposed by the Church. But aren’t all social values more or less of equal importance? To put it bluntly, no, they’re not. Some issues of their very nature outweigh even aggregates or clusters of other matters. Firstly, the dignity of human life, from conception to natural death must be the highest value in the political calculus. If it is not, then what possibly could be? Economic wellbeing? Healthcare? Security? What are those other things for, if not to preserve and defend life? Secondly, nothing more gravely or fundamentally abuses the dignity of human life than abortion. No political party or individual politician can claim authentically to value human dignity through funding for anti-poverty programs or providing universal healthcare while, at the same time, defending the willful destruction of human beings in utero. But, some may object, isn’t this obsessive, single-issue voting? No, it isn’t. The Right to Life is not a single issue among many issues. It is rather a foundational issue. The very term single-issue voting is a slur against the Catholic voter who values human life and dignity above every political matter. Without making the eradication of abortion our highest priority, we will never successfully address subsidiary problems of poverty, violence and lack of healthcare, because we will not have affirmed the centrality of human life as the wellspring from which all other human and civil rights flow. The US Catholic Bishops put it this way: The failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the ‘rightness’ of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community. This is sage advice, both for Catholic politicians and for Catholic voters to heed. + Pax et bonum, Friar Francisco Nahoe OFM Conv 30 September 2012 Catholics and the Coming Election – Part 3 CATHOLICS ARE ADMONISHED to vote according to their conscience. But what does it mean to exercise one’s conscience in the sphere of political life? Well, first of all, let me answer by saying what it does not mean. The exercise of conscience is not simply a matter of the individual voter expressing a preferential option for one candidate or one party. Conscience is not the same as individual preference. If that were the case, then it would be perfectly legitimate to cast a vote on the basis of prejudices or emotions or any other arbitrary influence that may individuate us. The exercise of conscience is never a matter of deciding what works best for me. Rather, the exercise of conscience is first and foremost an exercise of reason. Conscience takes into account objective moral truth, like the Commandments, and applies sound principles to uphold that moral truth while sorting out the particular issues of the day. A moral conscience may potentially err without loss of dignity, but certain fundamental principles always hold true: (1) One may never do evil so that good may result from it; (2) Whatever you wish that people would do to you, do so to them; and (3) it is never right to do anything that causes another to sin (Catechism 1789). Thus, when the Catholic bishops admonish the faithful to follow their conscience, they are never saying, “do whatever you think is best.” Rather, they are saying, “start with the sacred and certain doctrine of the Church, use carefully reasoned judgment, and vote in a way consistent with the principles of moral reasoning articulated above.” For too long, a significant number of Catholics (approximately 57% of Catholic voters) have either misunderstood or ignored what the Church teaches regarding the exercise of conscience. They’ve taken it as a free pass on the abortion issue. Then, having neutered the Right to Life as a factor in voting, they’ve been split right down the middle on the rest of the political spectrum, thus rendering impotent what could otherwise be an awesome and consistent force for good in America. + Pax et bonum, Friar Francisco Nahoe OFM Conv 7 October 2012 Catholics and the Coming Election – Part 4 IN TODAY’S FIRST READING (Wisdom 7:7-11), we hear these words: I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. This text from the Book of Wisdom underscores a vitally important dimension of our own preparation for next month’s election: prayer. In order to discern effectively, we must pray. Only then will prudence be given; only then will the spirit of wisdom come. Prudence, of course, is vital. Saint Thomas Aquinas reveres prudence, for it is the virtue that allows us to judge correctly what is right and what is wrong in any given situation. If we mistake an evil action for good one, then we would not be exercising prudence, we be showing a lack of it. Prudence applies universal knowledge to a particular case, and so demonstrates how right reason functions in matters of action. Prudence allows one to do what is good because it is good. Thus, for one to act prudently, he must have both knowledge and rightness of desire. Finally, prudence requires knowledge of both general moral principles and of a particular situation or set of circumstances. Putting this week’s discourse on prudence together with last week’s reflection on conscience, I believe we can now specify that in order for the Catholic voter’s conscience to act rightly, we must possess prudence and be willing to exercise it. There are many reasons that the exercise of conscience receives such strong emphasis in Catholic social teaching. One of them is quite simple. The Magisterium of Church could not possibly review every imaginable political or social scenario, every possible ballot measure or potential candidate for political office in the world and make definitive pronouncements about them. Instead, the Church seeks to form the conscience of believers so that they may prudently exercise their well-formed conscience in the context of the pluralistic democracy in which they themselves live. Voting, then, is precisely a matter of applying general moral principles to the specific sociopolitical conditions within which the voter lives and about which the voter is expected to be informed. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that the moral principles we start with do not pop out of thin air, but derive from two complementary sources: the exercise of reason and the doctrine of the Church. + Pax et bonum, Friar Francisco Nahoe OFM Conv 14 October 2012 Catholics and the Coming Election – Part 5 THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS has clearly stated the following: Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter’s intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate’s opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference... to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity (USCCB, Faithful Citizenship 2011). So, let’s talk turkey. May a Catholic, in good conscience, vote for a candidate because that candidate supports abortion, euthanasia, and gay marriage? The answers are no, no and no. To do so would make the Catholic voter complicit in those moral evils. Now, a second, distinct, but related, question: May a Catholic, in good conscience, vote for a candidate who happens also to support abortion, euthanasia, or gay marriage, even though those are not the reasons that the Catholic would vote for that candidate? The answer is still no, unless certain conditions obtain, an example of which I will discuss below. Suppose there are two publicly pro-choice candidates running against one another in a particular race without other candidates. One candidate absolutely opposes any kinds of restrictions on abortion whatsoever. The other candidate at least favors parental notification and opposes third-trimester abortions. A Catholic could, in good conscience, vote for the latter candidate, in spite of that candidate’s pro-choice stance. In such a case, the Catholic voter does not impair his conscience or cooperate with an intrinsic evil. On the contrary, in the absence of any option for a vote against the evil of abortion, the Catholic voter may nonetheless vote in favor of two policies that at least restrict access to abortion and will certainly reduce the actual number of abortions. Such is not the case, however, when there is a clear and unambiguous distinction between one candidate who favors abortion and another who opposes it. A Catholic cannot, in conscience, vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil in such a case. + Pax et bonum, Friar Francisco Nahoe OFM Conv 21 October 2012 Catholics and the Coming Election – Part 6 THIS SUMMER, during the period of the national conventions of the two major political parties, much ado was made of the exclusion and later inclusion of a single passing reference to God in the national platform of one of those parties. Some may consider the publicity generated by this affair a mere tempest in a teapot, but I think it was, in fact, a brilliantly executed diversionary tactic designed to draw attention away from two intrinsic moral evils embedded in that same party’s official platform. The first intrinsic evil is the party’s demand for access to abortion regardless of the ability to pay (which also means, by the way, that it is OK, in principle, to require either tax-payers or premium-payers to cover someone else’s abortions). The second intrinsic evil is the party’s commitment to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton, which defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman. To be sure, the opposing party has troubling elements in its official platform as well, but however dubious one may regard such policies, indeed, however much one may actively oppose them, they do not in fact commit the opposing party to any intrinsically immoral positions. While that does not mean that the Catholic voter is allowed to be indifferent with regard to issues that involve prudential decisions, it certainly does mean that one party has officially committed itself to moral evils and the other party has not. Still, that’s a pretty big deal, isn’t it? In my mind, it is a matter of staggering significance, especially since I, as a non-partisan, have nonetheless to find my moral and political way in an electoral system dominated by only two parties. For nearly twenty years now, I have been a non-partisan precisely because I could not continue as a member of a party that committed itself officially to intrinsic moral evils and I could not bring myself to join the party opposite with which I continue to have so many ideological differences. But not joining a party does not mean that I don’t vote, it just means that I have to think more carefully about whom and what to vote for. Choosing whom to vote for in such circumstances is often distressing, but it is never really difficult. Once you’ve eliminated the possibility of cooperating with intrinsic moral evils, then there are only two choices: (1) a non-impactive vote or (2) a vote for the party or candidate that has not committed itself officially to intrinsic moral evils and even opposes them. + Pax et bonum, Friar Francisco Nahoe OFM Conv 28 October 2012 | ||||
