Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement in light of additional federal executions this week and new…Read More
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement in light of additional federal executions this week and new…Read More
Texas officials have asked the Fifth U.S. Court of Appeals to allow the state to enforce its ban on a certain type of second-trimester abortions, pending further court decisions. The rule in question bars “dismemberment abortions,” known medically as “dilation and evacuation” abortions. The procedure uses forceps and other instruments to kill and remove the…Read More
Catholic leaders have joined their voices with members of the Navajo Nation in opposing the Aug. 26 scheduled execution of Lezmond Mitchell, the only Native American on federal death row. “The federal government’s planned execution of Mr. Mitchell violates the Navajo Nation’s cultural values, serves as a manifestation of the racial oppression inflicted upon Native…Read More
As the U.S. continues to grapple with COVID-19, we can’t lose sight of the pandemic’s impact on the criminal justice system. All 10 of the top clusters for the virus are in correctional institutions. Beyond the wrenching human toll on individuals incarcerated and the staff who work in jails and prisons, corrections departments are incurring…Read More
Planned Parenthood has agreed to drop a lawsuit against an Indiana law requiring an ultrasound for women prior to having an abortion. “Due to events that have occurred in the more than three years since this court entered the preliminary injunction—including, Plaintiff’s addition of a new ultrasound machine at a new clinic in Fort Wayne—the…Read More
The U.S. Department of Justice has sided with a Vermont Catholic high school student who has said a state program wrongly excluded her participation in a college credit coursework program because she attends a religious private school. The Vermont Education Agency’s Dual Enrollment Program allows high school students to take college courses with tuition paid…Read More
The U.S. bishops’ quadrennial document on political responsibility is rooted in the Catholic Church’s long-standing moral tradition that upholds human dignity and the common good of all, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City said. “The document is meant to give Catholic voters an opportunity to reflect upon how their faith intersects with their political…Read More
A new survey of neonatal medical professionals in the Belgian region of Flanders has found that nearly nine out of ten approve of euthanizing newborn children diagnosed with serious, non-lethal, medical conditions. The article, titled, “Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards termination of pregnancy at viable stage” was published in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica…Read More
The Diocese of Austin has condemned the Austin City Council’s decision to increase funding for abortion access in the city while partially defunding the city’s police department. On August 13, the Austin City Council voted to reduce the city’s $423 million police budget by $150 million, or by just over a third. That money will…Read More
By a two-to-one margin, Oklahomans say that if schools don’t open in the fall, parents should be able to take their tax dollars and go to another school. This according to a statewide survey of active likely voters conducted August 10–13, 2020. The survey, with a sample size of 630 and a margin of error…Read More
The U.S. bishops’ quadrennial document on political responsibility is rooted in the Catholic Church’s long-standing moral tradition that upholds human dignity and the common good of all, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City said. “The document is meant to give Catholic voters an opportunity to reflect upon how their faith intersects with their political…Read More
Oklahoma County Commissioners heard from the public for the time in 151 days. The first time since Commission Chair Kevin Calvey ended public comments due to COVID-19. For an hour and a half, commissioners heard from protesters, civil rights advocates and concerned citizens. Many spoke against a proposed ordinance on the agenda that would have…Read More
A committee in the California state Senate voted earlier this week to approve a bill creating a fund for experimental medicalized gender-transition procedures, including cross-sex hormones and body-altering surgeries for both minors and legal adults. The move came after the Health Committee chair said in late July that the measure would not be considered for…Read More
Oklahoma County Commissioners heard from the public for the time in 151 days. The first time since Commission Chair Kevin Calvey ended public comments due to COVID-19. For an hour and a half, commissioners heard from protesters, civil rights advocates and concerned citizens. Many spoke against a proposed ordinance on the agenda that would have…Read More
Citing that abortion is not healthcare, Senator Mike Braun and Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin calling for new regulations to end tax breaks for abortion under the guise of healthcare. Joining Senator Braun and Representative Davidson are 101 other signers: 22 Senators and 79 Representatives. “Abortion is not healthcare.…Read More
The Nebraska legislature on Thursday passed a ban on dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortions in the state, a move hailed by the Nebraska Catholic Conference. “Life has won today in Nebraska. By ending dismemberment abortion, our state has demonstrated and reaffirmed its deep respect for the human dignity of preborn children and their mothers,” said…Read More
Reflecting on the first anniversary of the taking effect of a New Jersey law allowing assisted suicide, Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen has encouraged Catholics to continue in unconditional respect for human life. “We cannot be complacent and just accept that physician-assisted suicide is the law now in our state,” Bishop Checchio said, according to…Read More
A federal court of appeals has removed an injunction blocking four Arkansas abortion regulations from going into effect. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled Friday to reinstate the 2017 Arkansas laws. They can take effect August 28, although they may still face legal challenge. The laws include a ban on abortions based…Read More
Government regulation of the chemical abortion pill has changed dramatically in recent weeks. Last month, a federal judge ruled that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, an abortion provider should not have to require that a pregnant woman be seen in person by medical staff in order to obtain abortion drugs. Even though it was the abortion…Read More
U.S. Senators James Lankford and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia are leading an effort to get an investigation underway on Planned Parenthood for alleged misuse of the Paycheck Protection Program and possible criminal activity. They are joined by several Senators in calling for the Treasury Department and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take a deeper…Read More
A group of senators is calling upon the Department of Justice and the U.S. Treasury to investigate abortion provider Planned Parenthood over its alleged misuse of coronavirus stimulus funds, with the politicians also requesting updates on the government’s investigations into Planned Parenthood’s purported sale of fetal tissue in violation of federal law. Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler…Read More
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office announced on Wednesday a change to the distribution process for CARES Act funding going to cities and counties, saying it will allow for dollars to be accessed more efficiently. Roughly $250 million of the state’s total $1.2 billion in funding from the CARES Act — the first federal COVID-19 relief package…Read More
Oklahoma County Budget Board members voted to recommend the county use $1.5 million of its CARES Act funding for an eviction mitigation program during a tense meeting Thursday morning. The funding must now be approved by the Board of County Commissioners before it is officially sent through an existing county trust and then to the…Read More
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office announced on Wednesday a change to the distribution process for CARES Act funding going to cities and counties, saying it will allow for dollars to be accessed more efficiently. Roughly $250 million of the state’s total $1.2 billion in funding from the CARES Act — the first federal COVID-19 relief package…Read More
Oklahoma County Budget Board members voted to recommend the county use $1.5 million of its CARES Act funding for an eviction mitigation program during a tense meeting Thursday morning. The funding must now be approved by the Board of County Commissioners before it is officially sent through an existing county trust and then to the…Read More
After President Donald Trump said Sunday that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, perpetrator of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, should be put to death, the Archdiocese of Boston said justice calls for life in prison, not the death penalty. “Catholic teaching does not support the taking of life as a means of achieving justice,” in Tsarnaev’s case, a…Read More
An omnibus appropriations bill approved by the House July 31 to fund a dozen federal departments and agencies blocks a conscience protection rule for health care providers who do not want to participate in abortion, sterilization or assisted suicide on religious or moral grounds. “These poison pill provisions in H.R. 7617 seek to undermine the…Read More
A Maryland county has issued a second order preventing non-public schools from reopening for in-person instruction, despite a previous effort being immediately overridden by Gov. Larry Hogan. “Reemphasizing the need to protect the health and safety of Montgomery County residents as well as parents, students, teachers and staff from the spread of COVID-19, County Health…Read More