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USCCB OFFICIAL PRAISES SENATE PASSAGE OF ‘GENETIC INFORMATION NONDISCRIMINATION ACT'

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate voted 95 to 0 to pass the Genetic Information
Nondiscrimination Act (“GINA,” H.R. 493), which bars employers and health insurers from
discriminating against individuals on the basis of their own or their family members’ genetic information, on April 24.

Deirdre McQuade, Assistant Director for Policy and Communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, praised its passage.

“Today the Senate took a stand for some of the most vulnerable members of the human family, whether born, yet to be born, or placed for adoption. No one should be discriminated against on the basis of genetic testing,” McQuade said.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a nearly identical bill by a vote of 420 to 3 on April 25, 2007.

“The Pro-Life Secretariat is particularly grateful to Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) for ensuring that this bill’s protection against discrimination will cover the families of unborn children with adverse prenatal diagnoses, as well as children being adopted,” she said. “His advocacy on their behalf will empower families to welcome vulnerable children with special needs into their lives.”

“After minor technical differences between the House and Senate bills are resolved, we look forward to President Bush signing into law this important protection for American families,” McQuade said.

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SEC, DD, CNS, RNS, Crux

USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat

This op-ed first appeared in the Lexington Herald Leader,
September 1, 2007.

Fr. John S. Rausch, a Glenmary priest, directs the Catholic Committee of Appalachia and coordinates the Justice and Peace Commission for the Catholic Diocese of Lexington.  He writes a monthly syndicated column that is published in 20 Catholic newspapers.

Editorial–Op-Ed
by Fr. John S. Rausch

Last Labor Day (2006) agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) swooped down on a poultry plant in Stillmore, Ga., arresting 120 people with false papers and scattering another 300 in all directions.  As people dispersed, one family hid for two nights in a tree, while other frightened workers fled into the woods, leaving women and children behind without resources.

Intentional or not, the raid on Labor Day symbolizes our failed immigration policies, because at its core the debate involves mainly foreign workers seeking a better life for themselves and their
families through their labor.

As a representative of the Catholic Church, I invite people of faith and those of good will during this Labor Day holiday to examine with me some of the realities and principles that could frame a
fair and just immigration program.  In a spirit of civility, let’s explore some possibilities to create a kinder and gentler society.

To begin, we must face reality: undocumented workers form a significant sector of our workforce. Estimates vary, but probably their number exceeds 5.3 million over the age of 18.  They account for roughly 10 percent of all restaurant workers, nearly a quarter of private household workers and more than half of the 1.6 million agricultural field workers.  The work of the undocumented contributes to our society and no immigration policy will work without acknowledging that fact. The option of deporting all undocumented workers and their families (estimated at 12 million) appears tactically impractical and economically dangerous.

A more realistic option creatively links principles with pragmatism.  Christian theology, for example, teaches that everyone is created in the image and likeness of God and has a right to life and life’s basic necessities, hence workers have the right to immigrate to support themselves and families.  Yet, nations have a right to protect their borders for the sake of the common good.  A middle ground would rest on two approaches: to recognize the current contributions of the
undocumented, and to streamline the process for legal immigration.

First, to recognize the worth of the undocumented, we could offer them a path to citizenship through earned legalization.  Earning legalization could come with certain stipulations, such as requiring six years of employment, the payment of a fine and any owed back taxes, plus English instruction before workers and their families could become eligible for permanent residency.  After gaining permanent residency, the individual could apply for citizenship–another five-plus year
process.

Critics, always nervous about rewarding illegal activity, are invited to draw water at the well of compassion.  Most civil crimes allow for restitution and fines.  Earned legalization represents a
process that may demand an undocumented person 11 to 13 years to complete the requirements for citizenship. This plan blends the American ideals of hard work and initiative with a Gospel touch of mercy and compassion.

Second, to slow illegal immigration to the U.S., we need to encourage local sustainable development in hemispheric countries by amending our trade agreements that favor transnational corporations, while expanding and expediting our visa policies.  Poverty pushes people.  Mexican experts estimate that more than one million farmers have left their land because of the North American Fress Trade Agreement, and those landless become the ready pool for border
crossings.  Ideally, migration should be driven by choice, not necessity.

Initiating a guest worker program provided with safeguards for just wages and essential legal guarantees would keep families together and ultimately serve the economic needs of U.S. businesses, while better controlling the flow of immigrants.  Few would face a cruel desert crossing, given the alternative of sitting confidently in an air conditioned office awaiting their visa.

High tech and barbed wire provide limited effectiveness in keeping out economically desperate people.  True security comes from the practice of justice and the respect for all people. To
cultivate the ground for immigration reform, this Labor Day I’m meditating on a passage from the Hebrew Scriptures: “You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you...for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt”
(Leviticus 19:34; cf. Matthew 25:35).

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES PROMOTES PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

In August Catholic Relief Services (CRS) staffers, Joe Hastings, an education officer from the CRS West Coast Regional Office in Seattle, and Burcu Munyas, a project officer in CRS’ Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza offices made presentations at the Catholic Pastoral Center in
downtown Spokane, Washington.

The featured speaker was Burcu Munyas, a Muslim native of Turkey. Munyas studied International Relations at Eiskent University in Ankara, Turkey, and received a scholarship to study for an M.A. in International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University in Indiana, for 2004-2006. The program included a semester of field study, during which Munyas worked with CRS in Cambodia. For the past year Munyas has been working as project officer in CRS’ Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza offices, providing relief services and working with programs that promote peace in the midst of the ongoing Arab/Israeli conflict. Munyas spoke to the group about current social, political, and economic conditions in Gaza and the West Bank. “It’s so important for us to be able to come over to the United States,” Munyas said, “and share about where we work and the kind of work that we do ....”

Following an overview of the current Arab/Israeli situation, Munyas explained that in 1948 and 1967 “around 800,000 (Palestinian) people were either forced to flee their homes or fled their homes out of fear. These people became refugees in West Bank and Gaza and in the surrounding countries, in Jordan, in Syria, in Lebanon especially. Now their numbers have grown to 4.5 million, and they live in 60 refugee camps ... Any time there is a solution to the political conflict, for them it has to (include) the resolving of their situation. For some of them it means the right of return. When you go and visit some refugee families in their homes you will find that they still keep the keys to their grandparents’ home that they had to flee.

Munyas also showed photos of and discussed the wall that Israel began to build in 2002. Israel calls it a “security fence” or “separation barrier,” Munyas said, “while the Palestinians call it the ‘annexation wall’ or the ‘apartheid wall.’” The Israeli government decided to build the wall to prevent terrorist attacks, especially suicide bombings in Israel. Between 2002 and 2006 there had been, Munyas said, “about 38 suicide bombings that took the lives of about 200 people.” One consequence of the wall for Palestinians, she said, is the separation of villages from one another, which isolates families from each other, and neighbors from one another, because the wall meanders around in apparently random ways, often through the middle of villages. “It also cuts off people from their means of livelihood, such as olive orchards, in the West Bank.” Munyas also spoke about CRS' Emergency Response Program, which in the past year has involved humanitarian aid, food distribution, hygiene products and blanket distribution. Visit this website to read more about CRS programs in Jerusalem, West
Bank and Gaza.

The biggest CRS emergency program that Munyas and her co-workers are involved with is a food distribution program in partnership with the United Nations. “It’s called ‘Food for Work, Food for Training,’” she said. “We work with 130 communities in the West Bank, and we distribute food rations in return for community development work or training, like business training or home economics training, or training in agriculture for farmers. This program feeds about 120,000 people every month.”

Seattle CRS education officer Joe Hastings concluded the session by telling the audience that, “The kind of work that Burcu and her team are doing all over the West Bank and Gaza is due largely to your support, and your putting the word out there, and your inviting other people to participate... When you feel compassion, and sometimes anger, or a commitment around these issues, express that to your friends and neighbors, and your representatives in congress.”
Excerpts from article by Mitch Finley that appeared in the Sept. 13, 2007 edition of the Inland Register, the official news magazine of the Diocese of Spokane, WA. .

HOUSE COMMITTEES TO DECIDE WHETHER NEW FARM BILL WILL EFFECTIVELY FIGHT GLOBAL HUNGER

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have continued to monitor hearings on the Farm Bill in Congress. Earlier this year, along with a number of faith-based and humanitarian groups, CRS endorsed a statement calling for changes in the bill that would benefit farmers, rural communities, and meet the nutritional needs of poor people in the United States and overseas. This month CRS also joined USCCB, Catholic Charities, and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference in crafting a letter to Rep. Tom Harkin (Chairman, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee) and Rep. Max Baucus (Chairman, Finance Committee) as their Committees prepare to act on the bill sometime around October 23.

The letter begins by asking committee members to develop a Farm Bill that “reflects the best of our national values, a commitment to feed the hungry, effective support for those who till the land, fairness and equity for farmers and ranchers, and stewardship of the land.” The group also expressed that they especially support efforts to target agriculture resources to those who need help the most, rather than those who need it least.

“In the face of severe budgetary constraints, we urge you to make the hungry and farmers most in need of help your first priorities as you consider the 2007 Farm Bill. We will do all we can to help you create and pass a Farm Bill that feeds the hungry, helps the most vulnerable farmers, and strengthens rural communities in their critical role as stewards of God’s creation,” the letter concluded. Visit this website to read the full letter.
For more information, contact:Brendan Cavanagh, CRS Grassroots Specialist, 1-800-235-2772 x 7462; bcavanag@crs.org.

Life Issues Forum
October 5,2007
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seeing People as God sees Them
by Tom Grenchik

On March 20, 2004, Pope John Paul II addressed a conference in Rome on the topic of patients in a “vegetative state.” He reaffirmed Church teaching with two simple points: patients in a “vegetative state” are still persons with inherent dignity; and there is a moral obligation to provide human beings with normal care, including nutrition and hydration. Some medical ethicists praised the Holy Father’s message, while others were outraged. His critics claimed that the Pope had abandoned Church teaching, that he was getting old and did not really mean what he said, or that the teaching was so confusing that it would have to be “studied” for some time to come.

Realizing the danger of indefinitely prolonged study, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, with great foresight, asked the Vatican for official clarification. The definitive response, approved by Pope Benedict XVI, came back from Rome on September 14, 2007, along with a commentary. The reply was once again consistent with previous Church teaching: such patients are human beings and there is a moral obligation to provide them with hydration and nourishment, even if there is no expectation that they will recover consciousness. The “study hall” is now closed on this matter.

For those of us who appreciate the consistency of the Church’s teaching, there is no surprise here. We know that human beings exist at conception, even if they are (as some critics like to say) “smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.” We know that the individual with the severest of disabilities is still a person, as is the patient fighting a terminal illness at the very end of his or her life. No one ceases to be human because of his or her age, location, condition of dependency, or health. All frail human beings in need have a claim on our compassionate response. In his 2004 address on patients in the “vegetative state,” Pope John Paul II states, “The loving gaze of God the Father continues to fall upon them, acknowledging them as his sons and daughters.” That beautiful image applies not only to those in a vegetative state, but to each of us and all those in our care.

This clarification will assist those who have struggled to understand the Church’s end-of-life teachings. When inevitable death is imminent, it still stands that no patient is obligated to do anything too extraordinary or too burdensome to prolong his or her life. But as pointed out in the recent clarification, “water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act.” There are rare cases when even efforts to provide nutrition and hydration could be physically impossible or too painful, ineffective or dangerous for the patient. Yet even in these exceptional cases, such patients still have a claim on our compassion and our care, and the loving gaze of God the Father still falls upon them. May we also respond with that same loving gaze.

Tom Grenchik is the Executive Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

DATE:  September 25, 2007
FROM:  Sr. Mary Ann Walsh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY STATEMENT: “WE NEED TRUTH” SAYS CARDINAL RIGALI
WASHINGTON—In a statement marking Respect Life Sunday, celebrated in Catholic parishes in the United States this year on October 7, Cardinal Justin Rigali noted widespread confusion on life issues – from embryonic stem cell research and partial-birth abortion to euthanasia by starvation –  and called upon Catholics and all people of good will to “witness to the truth about the incomparable dignity and right to life of every human being.” Cardinal Rigali is Archbishop of Philadelphia and Chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Cardinal Rigali noted that the right to life is more than a religious concern and quoted from a United Nations document that the “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” (Preamble to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989).

Begun in 1972, the Respect Life Program brings Church teaching on the value and dignity of human life to the Catholic community and the wider public in the United States. The theme of the 2007 Respect Life Program is "The Infant in My Womb Leaped for Joy" (Luke 1:39-56).

The full text of Cardinal Rigali’s statement will be available at www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp/rlp07rigali-stmt.shtml

This year’s Respect Life Program materials may be seen at www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp/rlp0708.shtml.

USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat

LIFE ISSUES FORUM
September 21, 2007  
Not to be Released until Sept. 24th

Statement for Respect Life Sunday
October 7, 2007
Cardinal Justin Rigali

Since 1972 the Catholic bishops in the United States have set aside the first Sunday in October as Respect Life Sunday. On October 7, Catholics will again pray for – and renew their resolve to bring about – a culture of life and an end to the killing of innocent human beings, especially those who are vulnerable due to their age, size, health or dependency.

The theme of the 2007 Respect Life Program  – The Infant in My Womb Leaped for Joy – calls to mind an extraordinary scene in Luke’s Gospel (1:39-56). Mary, newly pregnant with the Lord Jesus, is visiting her elderly cousin Elizabeth whose son, John, will soon be born. The moment Mary’s greeting reaches Elizabeth’s ears and John’s, the tiny prophet announces to his mother the Messiah’s arrival, as if his entire being were exclaiming: Behold! The Lamb of God! There was no confusion as to what and who were nestled under their mothers’ hearts. Yet 2,000 years later, many well-educated people do not know – or claim they do not know – the truth about human life before birth.

In April the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion, in an opinion that explicitly recognizes the humanity of unborn children and the grief women experience after abortion. Yet the killing of unborn children at any stage of pregnancy remains legal, provided that the lethal act is performed while the child is mostly inside his or her mother’s body.

In June, President Bush vetoed a bill to fund stem cell research requiring the destruction of human embryos, and directed his administration to investigate alternative means of producing pluripotent stem cells “by ethically responsible techniques.” Yet some supporters of embryonic stem cell research continue to dismiss concerns about destroying human embryos, because they are “no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence.”

We will not see the day when all human life is respected and defended unless we address a deeper problem. As Pope Benedict XVI has said:

“If truth does not exist for man, then neither can he ultimately distinguish between good and evil. And then the great and wonderful discoveries of science become double-edged: they can open up significant possibilities for good, for the benefit of mankind, but also, as we see only too clearly, they can pose a terrible threat, involving the destruction of man and the world. We need truth” (Homily at Marianzell, Austria, Sept. 8, 2007).

Days after Pope Benedict’s homily, the New Jersey Supreme Court claimed to have no way of knowing the truth about “when human life begins.” Dismissing a lawsuit against an abortion clinic which concealed the truth about abortion from women, the Court claimed there is “clearly no consensus” on whether, as matter of “biological fact,” the unborn child is a “human being.” The Court cited “moral, theological, [and] ideological” disagreement to ignore biological fact. We need truth.

Some ethicists suggest that patients who apparently lack conscious awareness – although otherwise healthy and not imminently dying – can be dehydrated and starved to death because their lives are not fully human but “vegetative.” This ignores the insight expressed in 2004 by Pope John Paul II and recently reaffirmed by the Holy See under Pope Benedict XVI, that “the intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being do not change, no matter what the concrete circumstances of his or her life. A man, even if seriously ill or disabled in the exercise of his highest functions, is and always will be a man, and he will never become a ‘vegetable’ or an ‘animal’.” We need truth.

On this Respect Life Sunday, we ask Catholics and all people of good will to witness to the truth about the incomparable dignity and right to life of every human being. This is no sectarian creed. The “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” (Preamble, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989). And that isthe truth.
                   
Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, is Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Justice for Immigrants ACTION ALERT
TAKE FIVE
CONTACT YOUR SENATORS IN SUPPORT OF THE DREAM ACT

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) is planning to offer the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) as an amendment to the Department of Defense (DOD) authorization bill later this week.   It is important that you take five minutes to call your Senator in support of Senator Durbin’s amendment.

The DREAM Act would permit students who are undocumented to qualify for permanent residency and become eligible for in-state tuition to attend a college or university.   As many as 70,000 students per year would be positively impacted by this legislation.

Please call your Senator and ask him or her to SUPPORT Senator Durbin’s DREAM Act amendment to S. 1547, the Department of Defense authorization bill.

Points to Make:

Students who would qualify came to the United States as children with their parents and entered illegally through no fault of their own.  The United States is the only country they have really known. This is not an amnesty bill.

Since these young persons came with their undocumented parents into the country, they have no ability to adjust their status. The DREAM Act would give them this avenue.

The DREAM Act would invest in the future of talented and bright young people who will contribute to this nation for years to come.  It is in the interest of our nation to invest in their future and to help them develop their talents and skills.

The DREAM Act would remove a federal bar on in-state tuition to those without legal status and would give states the option to provide in-state tuition to these students.

Contact your Senators at 202-224-3121 today or go to the interactive area of our website at www.justiceforimmigrants.org/action.html.   Ask your friends and neighbors to do so as well.

LIFE ISSUES FORUM

September 7, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Answering the Call
By Mary E. Jaminet

The post-Labor Day rush has begun. It is a time of transition and a time to look ahead and plan the rest of the year and into the next. What projects will we take on before the year is out, and what goals will we accomplish? Before your agenda is full, consider adding a pro-life event to your calendar. As Pope John Paul II explained in The Gospel of Life, "Everyone has an obligation to be at the service of life." Each one of us has a gift to use for this purpose. To what is God calling you?

On October 7, the Church will celebrate Respect Life Sunday. Check with your diocesan pro-life office to get involved in local programs and events. Look through the annual Respect Life program materials at http://www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp to get new ideas and educate yourself on the issues.

Get involved as a pro-life citizen. Sign up for Action Alerts from the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment (www.nchla.org). NCHLA has great resources on federal legislation - fact sheets, backgrounders, vote tracking, and everything you need to call or write your members of Congress on issues important to the Church.

Consider a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. for the annual National Prayer Vigil for Life on January 21-22, 2008 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. See http://www.usccb.org/prolife/anniversary.shtml for more information. While you are in town, attend the annual March for Life on the Mall at noon on Tuesday, the 22nd of January, the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, and make an appointment with your congressman and Senators while on the Hill.

Getting involved could be as simple as setting aside weekly prayer time for the intention of ending abortion and increasing respect for all human life. Here are a few other ideas:

• organize a monthly Holy Hour for Life in front of the Blessed Sacrament at your parish
• run a diaper drive at your place of work for a local crisis pregnancy center
• host a "Truth Booth" with footage of 3D and 4D ultrasounds at your local mall (see www.truthbooth.org)
• read page 4 of each Respect Life Program article for more ideas of how you can take life-affirming action

The hearts and minds of Americans are steadily becoming more pro-life, and it is important for each of us to get involved to keep that momentum going. From praying in front of abortion facilities to visiting the sick and elderly in nursing homes, we are all called to become a part of an ever-growing network of generous support for the gift of others, the gift of life. Providing loving service and life-affirming witness to people in our communities will bring about a culture of life where all are accepted and welcomed. Now is the time for each of us to answer the call of the Gospel of Life!

Mary Jaminet is Special Project Coordinator at the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

August 23,2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RESPECT LIFE PROGRAM PACKET FOR 2007-08 NOW AVAILABLE

WASHINGTON — The 2007-08 Respect Life Program is now available in preparation for Respect Life Sunday, October 7. This year's theme is taken from Luke's Gospel (1:44): “The Infant in My Womb Leaped for Joy.”

This passage from the Visitation story reflects Elizabeth’s joy and amazement on being greeted by her cousin Mary, when Elizabeth and her unborn child John recognized they were in the presence of the unborn Jesus. The biblical theme contrasts their sense of awe at the unborn child with contemporary society’s view of the human embryo as a mere commodity that can be created, manipulated, or even destroyed for research purposes.

In his August 2007 address to the annual Diocesan Pro-Life Directors' gathering, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, Chairman of the bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities, noted the need for such awe and reverence at human life, particularly in bioethics. “Human dignity, not progress at any price, should be the fundamental guiding value in scientific research,” he said. “When scientists do their job well, they serve humanity and the common good.”

Begun in 1972, the Respect Life program brings Church teaching on the value and dignity of human life to the Catholic community and the wider public. The program combines education, prayer, service, and advocacy. Respect Life Sunday is observed in virtually all of the 195 Catholic dioceses in the United States.

The eight pamphlets in this year’s packet address a broad array of topics:

• abortion and Catholic social teaching
• assisted reproductive technology
• caring for aging loved ones
• the failure of contraception to reduce abortions
• discovering hope and love after an adverse prenatal diagnosis
• the abortion-breast cancer link
• the respect owed to persons who are mentally ill, and
• Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.
  

In addition to pamphlets and a poster for Respect Life Sunday, this year’s packet also includes a Liturgy Guide with intercessions for life; suggested preaching reflections for Respect Life Sunday and January 22, the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion; a novena for life ending on the Feast of the Visitation; and a rosary for life with meditations on the Joyful Mysteries.

Respect Life packets may be ordered from the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities by calling toll-free (866) 582-0943, or by faxing orders to (301) 779-8596. Downloadable copies of Respect Life materials from 1996 onward are posted in English and Spanish on the Secretariat’s website at www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp.

USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat

People: Vatican Secretary of State coming to Nashville By NashvillePost.com People Dept. 07-23-2007 3:22 PM

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone will travel to Nashville next month to address the 125th annual convention of the Knights of Columbus. The event is set for August 7.

The visit is Bertone's first trip to the United States as Secretary of State. He is the highest-ranking Vatican official after the pope and has responsibility for overseeing many of the Vatican's internal and external affairs. He has served in that position since being appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

Bertone will serve as principal celebrant and homilist for the convention's opening Mass on Tuesday, Aug. 7, and will bring a special message from Pope Benedict XVI to be read during the opening session of the convention. He will also receive the Knights of Columbus Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope) award.

Founded in New Haven, Conn. in 1882, the Knights of Columbus is the world's largest lay Catholic organization, with 1.7 million members in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Central America, and Poland.

Cardinal Rigali Commends President Bush for Veto of Destructive Embryo Research Bill

WASHINGTON (June 20, 2007)? Today President Bush vetoed the ?Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act? (S. 5), and issued an Executive Order supporting alternative means for obtaining and using very versatile or ?pluripotent? stem cells. Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia and Chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement in response to the President?s actions:

?I commend President Bush today for vetoing S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. This bill would not actually enhance stem cell research, but divert federal funds away from legitimate research toward avenues requiring the destruction of innocent human life. The cause of science is not enhanced but diminished when it loses its moral compass.

?Also welcome today is the President?s executive order directing the National Institutes of Health to explore alternative, ethically acceptable means for obtaining very versatile or ?pluripotent? stem cells. Recent discoveries regarding stem cells from cord blood and amniotic fluid, and the reprogramming of ordinary adult cells to become pluripotent stem cells, demonstrate that science not only raises new ethical questions but at times can help address them. Adult stem cells continue to produce new clinical advances on a regular basis, most recently showing benefits for patients with juvenile diabetes.

?Tragically, some embryonic stem cell advocates in Congress have dismissed such advances or even greeted them with suspicion, as though medical progress were less genuine or praiseworthy when it respects early human life. I urge them to follow the President?s lead on this issue, by promoting research and therapies that everyone can live with.?

Washington--An official of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reacted to this evening’s vote by the U.S. Senate to approve legislation (S. 5) promoting the destruction of human embryos for federally funded stem cell research. The Senate voted for this bill 63 to 34. At the same time, S. 30, a bill to promote alternative ways to pursue stem cell research without harming human embryos, was also approved, 70 to 28.

Richard M. Doerflinger, Deputy Director of the USCCB Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said: “With enactment of S. 5, millions of taxpayers would be forced to promote attacks on innocent human life in the name of scientific progress. Americans have not been required to assist in such direct exploitation of vulnerable human life in the past. Because the President has promised to veto this bill, and opposition to it in Congress is sufficient to uphold his veto in both House and Senate, we expect that this terrible burden will not be placed on the American people now.

"Many members of Congress remain dazzled by irresponsibly hyped promises of ‘miracle cures’ from the destruction of human embryos, although experts in the field increasingly admit that treatments from this avenue may be decades away,” said Mr. Doerflinger. “This debate continues to divert attention and resources away from the demonstrated therapeutic promise of morally sound research using adult and cord blood stem cells. Not only embryonic human beings, but suffering patients and their families, are victims of the Senate’s fixation on destructive research.”

• Lame Duck Congress Passes Temporary Spending Measure
• What the Power Shift in Washington Means for Federal Legislation
• Minimum Wage
• Immigration
• Housing and Community Development
• Health Care and Welfare
• Food Stamps
• New Staff in Social Policy Department

Lame Duck Congress Passes Temporary Spending Measure
The House and Senate this week passed another Continuing Resolution to keep federal funds flowing to discretionary programs until December 8th. Congress had passed a similar resolution that expires November 17th for all funding not covered by the Defense and Homeland Security spending bills – the only appropriations bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Congress has been able to pass thus far.

Funding covered by the continuing resolution keeps funding at FY 2006 levels until Congress can complete work on the remaining spending bills when it returns to session in December. Likely scenarios include: passage of an omnibus spending bill that would roll remaining appropriations bills into one large bill that could include an across-the-board spending cut (perhaps as high as one percent); or passage of an additional continuing resolution that would defer spending decisions to the 110th Congress when it convenes in January. We will keep you updated as decisions are made and let you know what you can do to protect funding for programs that serve those who are poor and in need.

For more information, please contact Christin Driscoll, Senior Director for Policy Development and Advocacy at cdriscoll@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

What the Power Shift in Washington Means for Federal Legislation
With Democrats set to take control of the 110th Congress in January, the power shift in Washington will have an impact on critical social service programs. While members of both parties organize committee and leadership posts for the new Congress, there are several important things to keep in mind as the political landscape is changing. First and foremost is that federal funding will continue to be tight, and vigorous advocacy in terms of protecting funding for domestic programs will need to remain a priority. Additionally, margins in both the House and Senate are narrow, and Catholic Charities USA will continue, as always, to work in a non-partisan manner with all members of Congress on behalf of our members and those you serve. For more information on the recent elections, please visit http://www.cqpolitics.com

Below is some of what we anticipate as the new Congress takes shape:

Minimum Wage
Increasing the minimum wage is one of the issues listed by the incoming House and Senate leaders as a priority during the first days of the 110th Congress. Therefore, it is very likely that early next year legislation will be proposed to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to more than $7 over two years.

On November 16th, Catholic Charities USA attended a press conference where Senators Kennedy (D-MA), Schumer (D-NY), Harkin (D-IA), and Clinton (D-NY) affirmed their commitment to raising the federal minimum wage. Also in attendance were activists from Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Missouri, Nevada, and Ohio where voters passed state minimum wage initiatives.

For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Director of Immigration and Special Populations Policy at lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Immigration
The future of immigration reform still remains uncertain. While the change of power in Congress makes it more likely that immigration reform legislation will move during the110th Congress, it is uncertain when this will happen. Immigration reform is not listed by House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi as a priority for the first 100 hours on the U.S. House of Representatives’ agenda. According to Congressional Quarterly, a spokeswoman for Rep. Pelosi said that “there’s not been any specific talk about immigration,” and that “she [Rep. Pelosi] favors a comprehensive plan.” This most likely means that any move forward would start with hearings and the introduction of new legislation.

We anticipate that there will still be challenges in moving a comprehensive immigration reform bill through Congress. Among those challenges will be crafting a bill that Democrats on both sides of the issue will support. According to the Congressional Quarterly, Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-CA), a proponent of comprehensive immigration reform and the second highest ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, acknowledged that divisions among Democrats could emerge in the 110th Congress and threaten progress. The President is supportive of comprehensive immigration reform and said that he hopes Congress will work on immigration reform. However, it is not clear if the incoming leadership is willing to allow him to claim the victory for delivering immigration reform.

Catholic Charities USA will continue to push just and fair comprehensive immigration reform. For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Director of Immigration and Special Populations Policy at lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Housing and Community Development
The recent election appears to bode well for affordable housing based on the fact that Congressional committees with jurisdiction over important housing legislation and spending are likely to be lead by those with strong records on housing issues. While some encouragement can be gleaned from the potential new committee and subcommittee chairs, it is important to keep in mind that Congressional funding will continue to be very tight.

Both Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Barney Frank (D-MA), the incoming chairs of the Senate and House committees with jurisdictions over important housing issues have publicly stated that affordable housing is a priority for them. The Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation will likely by headed by Jack Reed (D-RI) who has demonstrated a commitment to affordable housing for the homeless, for the working poor, and low-income households. Sen. Reed has supported the establishment of an Affordable Housing Program, Section 8, HUD’s Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program (Section 202), HUD’s Disability Housing Program (Section 811). Being a veteran, Senator Reed is a likely asset to those who are working to advance affordable housing efforts for homeless and precarious housed veterans and their families. Sen. Reed will also serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee, giving him added power.

On the House side, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) of Los Angeles, a vocal supporter of the positive changes to Section 8 in the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act and the Affordable Housing Fund, is likely to chair the House subcommittee.

The Senate appropriations subcommittee that deals with HUD funding is likely to be headed by Patty Murray (D-WA). Senator Murray is a formidable supporter of affordable housing. She and her staff have followed HUD’s work closely and been vocal critics of HUD’s conduct. It was Senator Murray in partnership with Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO), the current subcommittee chair, who added $10 million into the T-THUD appropriations bill for the Family Unification Program.

It remains unclear which member will chair the House appropriations subcommittee but based on seniority, this position belongs to John Olver (D-MA) if he desires it. There is also some talk that U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) may chair this subcommittee.

In terms of Katrina-related housing issues, it is possible that during the lame duck session, Congress will pass a tax package. If this is the case, an extension of the Gulf Opportunity Zone Low Income Housing Tax Credits is likely to be a part of this legislation. However, many Hill staff report that the extension will only move the Placed In Service Date (the date a property is ready for occupancy) from 2008 to 2009 with the expectation that Congress may consider another extension until 2010. This extension is a full year shorter than what housing advocates involved in the rebuilding and recovery efforts in the Gulf region have requested. For a number of reasons, the construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing in the region takes considerably longer than development in non-disaster affected areas. CCUSA will continue to work with gulf region Catholic Charities agencies and in partnership with other national housing advocacy organizations to urge Congress to attach a two-year extension to any tax package that is considered during the lame duck session.

For more information, please contact Ruth White, Director of Housing and Community Development Policy at rwhite@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Health Care and Welfare
Recent election results provide new opportunities for program improvements in several priority areas for Catholic Charities agencies. In the areas of health and welfare, significant changes will take place in the Congressional committees that authorize such programs as Medicaid, child welfare, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

In the Senate, Max Baucus (D-MT) will chair the Finance Committee which has authority over TANF, Medicaid, child welfare, and other programs that impact low-income working families. Senator Baucus has demonstrated a good working relationship with Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member on the Committee. This relationship will be helpful during the upcoming debates to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

On the House side, the leadership for key committees such as Ways and Means has not been determined. However, House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has identified a series of key policy areas that she will push for in early days of the 110th Congress. These changes include increase in the minimum wage, education reform, and health care reform. These policy positions are similar to proposals in Catholic Charities USA’s 2006 policy paper on the issue of poverty.

Catholic Charities USA will continue to work with members of both parties to identify additional opportunities to advocate on the behalf of low-income families. For more information, please contact Desmond Brown, Director of Health Care and Welfare Policy at dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Food Stamps
The Farm Bill, which contains authorizing language for the Food Stamp Program, is scheduled for reauthorization in 2007. Incoming Chairs of the Agriculture Committees are expected to be Tom Harkin (D-IA) in the Senate and Collin Peterson (D-MN) in the House. While Rep. Peterson is expected to author a bill similar to the 2002 Farm Bill, he has not expressed interest in passing a simple extension of current law. Senator Harkin has long been a strong supporter of federal nutrition programs.

Catholic Charities USA will advocate for a strong nutrition title in the Farm Bill. For more information, please contact Christin Driscoll at cdriscoll@catholiccharitiesusa.org or Lucreda Cobbs at lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

New Staff in Social Policy Department
In October, Karen Wong joined the Social Policy Staff at Catholic Charities USA as our new Legislative Policy and Research Analyst. Karen’s duties will include a particular focus on health care issues. Karen was most recently a Congressional Hunger Center Emerson Hunger Fellow placed at Volunteers of America. Welcome Karen!

Supreme Court Countdown: Partial-Birth Abortion
Six years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court invoked its Roe v. Wade decision to strike down a state law against partial-birth abortion. On November 8 the Court is scheduled to take a second look, hearing arguments on a federal partial-birth abortion ban. As that day approaches we will pray that the Court will get it right this time.

Frank Boehm, M.D., director of obstetrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, is quoted as follows:

Dr. Boehm "insists there are no medical circumstances in which a partial-birth abortion is the only safe alternative. 'We take care of [pregnant] women who are very sick, and babies who are very sick, and we never perform partial-birth abortions. ... There are plenty of alternatives. ... This is clearly a procedure no obstetrician needs to do'."
- The Washington Times, May 6, 1996, at A1

Abortion. Have We Gone Too Far?
www.secondlookproject.org USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat

September 18, 2006

Dear Catholic Faithful,

This November the citizens of Tennessee have the opportunity and responsibility to cast their vote on an amendment to our state constitution to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman. We, the Catholic Bishops of Tennessee, support this amendment. Though marriage is regulated by both civil laws and church laws, marriage does not originate from either the church or the state, but from God. Therefore, we -church or state - are not free to alter the basic meaning and structure of marriage. Marriage, as instituted by God, is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman.

Man and woman are equal. However, as created, they are different from but made for each other. This complementary, including sexual difference, draws them together in a mutually loving union that should be always open to the procreation of children (see Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], nos.1602-1605). Same sex unions simply do not conform to the essence of marriage. It is our duty as pastors, teachers, and that of all the Christian faithful, to promote, preserve, and protect marriage as it is willed by God. When society attempts to redefine marriage so as to make other relationships equivalent to it, marriage itself is devalued, and indeed the family and the society that rests on this foundational institution are put at risk.

Some suggest, erroneously, that this amendment would be unjustly discriminatory toward homosexual persons. The Catholic Church's teaching, clearly expressed in the Catechism, urges that homosexual persons be treated with respect, compassion and sensitivity (CCC, n. 2358). Our defense of marriage focuses primarily on the importance of marriage, not on homosexuality. Upholding the meaning of marriage, in which sexual relations have their proper and exclusive place, does not conflict in any way with the duty to respect the dignity of any person or group, including homosexual persons. Indeed, most if not all of the financial benefits that the State affords those who are married are readily available to unmarried people. Property can be held in the name of two people who are not married. State law recognizes the freedom of people to name whomever they want as beneficiaries of a will or life insurance policy. A designee as an agent under a durable power of attorney or as a healthcare agent can be a person who is unmarried, and in fact unrelated in any way. Presently, businesses can, if they choose, voluntarily extend employment benefits to individuals unrelated to employees. None of these benefits require marriage.

In urging the Catholic faithful and other citizens of our state who share our concerns to support this amendment, we Bishops reiterate that there is no separation between one's faith and life either in public or private realms (USCCB, Statement, 8) All Catholics should, with a well-formed conscience, act on their beliefs. This community of conscience, seeking to uphold the dignity of the human person, the common good and society's welfare, must participate in public life, guided by the standards of high reason and Gospel truth. Responsible citizenship is a virtue; a participation in the political process is a moral obligation (USCCB, Statement, 8). This is particularly urgent in light of the need to defend marriage and to oppose the legalization of same-sex unions as marriages.

We urge Catholics to support this proposed amendment to our Tennessee Constitution when they go to the polls on November 7th. Catholics seek to join other Tennesseans, both those of other faith communities and those without any religious affiliation, in upholding the true nature of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. We gratefully exercise the rights extended to all citizens to proclaim our values in an effort to contribute to the well-being of society and to have these values affirmed and recognized in our public policy. We do this with courage, compassion and civility. Our faith guides us; our love for God and our fellow citizens inspires us. Our prayer is that we might have the wisdom and courage to always respond as God would desire.

Sincerely yours in the Lord,

RESPECT LIFE STATEMENT HIGHLIGHTS TRUE AND FALSE "PROGRESS" ON HUMAN LIFE

WASHINGTON – In a statement marking Respect Life Sunday, celebrated in Catholic parishes this year on October 1, Cardinal William H. Keeler welcomed "true advances" in respect for human life in our society. He also criticized recent developments that, while "hailed as forms of technical progress" by some, are "regressive and harmful in their effects on human life."

Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, is Chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Among the "signs of progress" welcomed by the Cardinal are the "enthusiastic involvement" of young people in pro-life education and activism, and "the growing number of youth committed to living chastely until marriage," a trend that has helped reduce abortions. He noted shifts in public opinion against abortion, spurred in part by "the public debate on partial-birth abortion," and against the use of the death penalty.

Among negative developments the Cardinal cited FDA approval of the abortion drug RU-486 and the Plan B "emergency contraceptive," which can harm women as well as unborn human lives. " In the field of stem cell research," he added, "the genuine and growing promise of treatments using adult stem cells is often downplayed or ignored, while exaggerated or even fraudulent claims are made for avenues that require destroying early human lives." Citing the example of a "Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative" on the November ballot in Missouri, he said the initiative claims to ban human cloning but "would actually elevate the cloning of human embryos for destructive research to the status of a constitutional right."

Cardinal Keeler said that powerful groups in our society ignore basic facts today to promote "a narrow and divisive view of the human person," just as the Supreme Court ignored basic facts in 1973 to create a constitutional "right" to abortion. "Let us educate and motivate ourselves to ensure that truth – the scientific and medical truth, and the profound truth about the dignity of each human person – will increasingly inform and guide our society’s decisions about human life," he said.

FREE OUR PEOPLE

Kevin Lofton
Independent Living Specialist
Memphis Center For Independent Living
1633 Madison Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6404 EX. 118-- PH
(901) 726-6521--FAX
www.mcil.org
kevin@mcil.org

ADAPT Meets with National Catholic Partnership on Disability and Gets MiCASSA Support

Washington, D.C. --- ADAPT met on September 12 with National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), as promised by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in late July. In this historic meeting, the NCPD agreed to support MiCASSA, the Medicaid Community Choice Act (H.R. 910, S 401.)

Janice Benton, NCPD Executive Director, and Board Chair, Jerry Freewalt, who flew in from Columbus, Ohio for the meeting, met with a small group of ADAPT activists from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. to hammer out an agreement. Following the smaller meeting, Benton and Freewalt joined all 500 ADAPT activists from 30 states to announce that NCPD would write a letter supporting MiCASSA, and would send it to all of the bill's
co-sponsors, as well as the NCPD network. The letter was written and sent to the Senate and House Co-sponsors on September 14.

NCPD further agreed to continue working with ADAPT to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities in community life, in keeping with an NCPD founding principle that calls for the "defense of all other rights which enable the individual with the disability to achieve the fullest measure of personal development of which he or she is capable. These include the right
to equal opportunity in education, in employment, in housing, and in health care, as well as the right to free access to public accommodations, facilities and services."

The September 12 meeting was the result of ADAPT activists from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, D.C. visiting the Washington headquarters of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in July, 2006 to request support for getting people with disabilities out of nursing homes and other institutions. The USCCB has historically supported initiatives that protected and advanced civil rights, but has, until now, not extended
that support to freeing people with disabilities of all ages from institutionalization.

###
FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT
visit our website at http://www.adapt.org

Dear friends and colleagues:

This news release was issued at 5 pm last night, after the Senate had approved all three stem cell bills (63-37 on the embryonic stem cell bill, 100-0 on the two bills we support). Later in the evening, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the "fetus farming" bill, but unexpectedly failed to pass the "alternative stem cells" bill by the necessary two-thirds margin (the vote in favor was 273 to 154), after it was attacked by embryonic stem cell supporters as a distraction from the "unique" promise of stem cells from destroying embryos. Today the President is expected to veto HR 810 and sign S. 3504, and the House may hold a veto override vote that is expected to fail; Congress and/or the White House may yet come up with a way to address the "alternatives" issue. We'll know more later today.

Richard Doerflinger, USCCB Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities

DATE:  July 18, 2006
FROM:  William Ryan

O -202-541-3200
H -202-686-1824

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USCCB OFFICIAL CALLS PASSAGE OF EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH BILL ‘A DISSERVICE TO HUMAN LIFE’

WASHINGTON—Gail Quinn, Executive Director of the USCCB Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said that by approving a bill to encourage the destruction of human embryos for their stem cells “the U.S. Senate has done a disservice to human life and to the cause of medical progress.”
Ms. Quinn commented on congressional action (July 18) regarding three stem cell research bills, including H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.

This is the text of Ms. Quinn’s statement:

“By approving a bill to encourage the destruction of human embryos for their stem cells today, the U.S. Senate has done a disservice to human life and to the cause of medical progress.  No technical achievement is ‘progress’ if it takes us backwards in respect for human life.  H.R. 810’s focus on research that destroys embryos also ignores effective and morally acceptable treatments using adult and umbilical cord stem cells, which have already begun to treat patients with dozens of illnesses.  Because it takes resources away from these effective avenues, the drive for embryonic stem cell research actually threatens to harm patients themselves.

Today Congress is also expected to give final approval to two bills on stem cell research that respect the claims of both science and ethics.  S. 2754 will fund avenues for obtaining very versatile stem cells without involving human embryos.  S. 3504 will prevent the grotesque abuse of ‘fetus farming,’ by which researchers would grow human embryos to the fetal stage in order to harvest and use their body parts.  Both these proposals are welcome and much needed.  We hope and expect that President Bush will sign them into law as he vetoes the bill promoting the destruction of early human life.”

# # # # # 06-146
SEC,CNS,RNS,Crux

USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat

For Immediate Release
Why “Plan B” Won’t Reduce Abortions
By Deirdre A. McQuade

On August 24th, the Food and Drug Administration succumbed to abortion advocates and approved the sale of “Plan B” to adult women and men without a prescription. Planned Parenthood is now encouraging women to stock this “emergency contraception” in their medicine cabinet “just in case,” saying it will obviously reduce the number of abortions.

But will Plan B reduce abortion rates? Is it just a contraceptive? And is pregnancy a medical emergency or a pathological condition demanding treatment? The answer to each of these, in a word, is ‘no’.

Pregnancy is not an emergency. It’s is a sign that the fertility systems of the man and woman are working. If some consider pregnancy pathological, the treatment for this attitude is not a pill, but a much broader cultural shift that re-associates sex with its natural consequences.

Is Plan B a contraceptive? It can be, but it can also cause an early abortion. Depending on when in her menstrual cycle a woman takes it, the drug can have any one of three effects:  (a) it can have no effect because the woman is already naturally infertile three weeks out of four; (b) it can act as a contraceptive by preventing fertilization; or (c) it can cause an early abortion by preventing the embryo from implanting in her uterine lining.

Those hailing Plan B’s availability say that it “prevents pregnancy” and so isn’t an abortifacient. But that depends on what your definition of ‘isn’t’ is. They define abortion as the termination of a pregnancy, and say that a woman is pregnant only after the embryo implants in her uterus.

But prior to the embryo’s nesting in the womb, while still “free floating” in the woman’s reproductive tract, she is already “with child.” If the growing embryo is caught in the fallopian tube too long or expelled from the woman’s body due to an abortifacient drug, he or she dies, whether the mother is aware of it or not. Abortion is the destruction of unborn human life, not just the interruption of pregnancy after implantation. So in addition to being a contraceptive, Plan B may cause drug-induced abortions.

Will Plan B reduce abortions generally? The answer is still no. According to research in Europe and the U.S., increased access to “emergency contraception” has a negligible effect on the rate of unplanned pregnancies and abortions. Researchers are surprised at their own findings, as are the activists who had hoped to bolster their contraception agenda in Congress. Kirsten Moore, president and CEO of Reproductive Health Technologies, admitted: "the experts had estimated that we would see a drop by up to half in the rates of unintended pregnancy and the rates of abortion. And in fact in the real world we're not seeing that."

So “emergency contraception” is a euphemistic misnomer; and this drug will not reduce abortions. When you include the possible abortifacient effect, it may even increase them.

For more information on the USCCB’s long fight against this approval, visit  http://pull.xmr3.com/p/135-1EFB/68127982/http-www.usccb.org-prolife.html  and click on “ http://pull.xmr3.com/p/135-29BF/68127979/clickto2_ontraception-morningafterpill.html in the issues list.

Deirdre A. McQuade is director of planning and information, Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat

A Labor Day Reflection on
Immigration and Work
Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D.
Bishop of Brooklyn
Chairman, Domestic Policy Committee
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
September 4, 2006

Each year as summer draws to a close many of us gather on Labor Day with family, friends and neighbors to take a rest from our work. As a nation, we set this day aside to pay tribute to the workers who create our nation’s wealth and strength. Our Catholic faith reminds us of the inherent dignity and value of our work, through which, no matter how large or small the task, we participate in God’s creation, support our families, and contribute to the common good. Each Labor Day we celebrate and share our values on work and workers and remember the importance and the contributions of the labor movement to society.

Labor Day 2006 is a time when our nation and our church are struggling with the difficult and important issue of immigration. Men, women and children come here seeking work and a better life for their families, hoping to be welcomed as neighbors and contributors to our communities. They come as skilled and unskilled workers, agricultural laborers, or to study or join family already here. They come, in part, because U.S. employers need their labor and our economy depends upon them. Many come through official legal channels. Many others do not.
 
These realities and our inadequate immigration system have led to a necessary, but sadly divisive, debate on how our nation should respond. Unfortunately, the debate sometimes has not brought out the best in us. People of good will can and do disagree over how to improve our immigration laws. Regrettably, this disagreement sometimes disintegrates into polarization, partisanship and now paralysis. We must get beyond the anger and fear, stereotypes and slogans that too often dominate this essential discussion.

Immigration is not a new reality. We are a nation and a Church built by immigrants. However, immigration raises continuing questions with new urgency. Who is an American? Who is our “neighbor?” What are the impacts of immigration on our national economy?  How much is too much–or not enough–immigration? How are individual workers and families affected–both native born workers and those newly arrived?  How are we to address the reality that over 10 million people are here without legal documentation, but, with few exceptions, leading lives that share our values of work, family and community?  How can we stand with some American workers who feel left behind or pushed aside?  How are we to protect our borders against those who would do us harm?  

We all bring our own perspectives, biases, even prejudices to this discussion. I hope as we approach Labor Day, each of us might try to see these difficult questions through the eyes and experiences of someone very different from ourselves: 

• a father in Mexico who cannot feed his family, or a rancher on the border whose land has become a dangerous path for desperate people, threatening their lives and his livelihood
  
• a worker without legal status cutting meat or picking fruit, or a U.S. worker, with little education and few skills, searching for a job at a decent wage
  
• a farmer or business owner who can’t find enough workers, or a union leader working for exploited and unrepresented workers
  
• a border guard asked to do an impossible task with limited resources, or a legislator who has the difficult responsibility of trying to reconcile these very different perspectives in pursuit of the common good.

Renew the Voting Rights Act
June 16, 2006

TAKE ACTION NOW!  On Monday, join civil rights activists from around the country in making a toll-free call (1- 866-808-0065) to Your Representatives and urge them to fully support H.R. 9 without amendment.

ISSUE:  The historic 1965 Voting Rights Act must be reauthorized in this Congress. The House Judiciary Committee under the leadership of Chairman Sensenbrenner promptly sent to the House floor HR 9 The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 with overwhelming bipartisan support.  House leaders, including Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), have been important allies in the effort to renew and restore the Voting Rights Act and have indicated that they intend to bring H.R. 9 to the floor the week of June 19.   Urge your Representative to support HR 9 without amendment.

BACKGROUND:  certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act must be renewed periodically.  This year, 25 years since the last renewal, three key provisions are expiring:

• Section 5, which requires pre-clearance of voting changes in states and localities with a history of voting discrimination;
• Section 203, which requires counties where more than 5 percent of citizens who are not native English speakers to provide language assistance; and
• Sections 6-9 & 13, which authorizes the Department of Justice to send federal examiners and observers to monitor elections.

The USCCB Position: Bishop DiMarzio wrote to the Speaker and Majority Leader urging them to schedule a vote on HR 9: “The Catholic bishops have a longstanding commitment to civil rights, including the right to vote.  ‘No Catholic with a good Christian conscience can fail to recognize the rights of all citizens to vote,’ wrote the Administrative Board of the National Catholic Welfare Conference (predecessor of the USCCB) in 1963.  Portions of the Voting Rights Act were last renewed in 1992, with the support of the USCCB.   The USCCB has continually emphasized the importance of voting and the right and responsibility of each citizen to vote, and has encouraged dioceses, parishes and other Catholic institutions to participate in non-partisan voting registration efforts.”

For more information: Thomas Shellabarger, 202.541.3189 or tshellabarger@usccb.org

Department of Social Development and World Peace
3211 Fourth Street NE
Washington, DC 20017-1194
FAX 202-541-3339
Website: www.usccb.org/sdwp

June 12, 2006

The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Speaker:

On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I write to urge
prompt action on the House floor for HR 9 The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta
Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. This important
legislation was reported to the House by the Judiciary Committee under the leadership of
Chairman Sensenbrenner with overwhelming bipartisan support. As a co-sponsor of the bill,
you know that reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act is necessary to preserve and protect the right
to vote for all Americans. Under your leadership this vital legislation can be brought to a timely
vote in the House of Representatives.

The Catholic bishops have a longstanding commitment to civil rights, including the right
to vote. “No Catholic with a good Christian conscience can fail to recognize the rights of all
citizens to vote,” wrote the Administrative Board of the National Catholic Welfare Conference
(predecessor of the USCCB) in 1963. Portions of the Voting Rights Act were last renewed in
1992, with the support of the USCCB. The USCCB has continually emphasized the importance
of voting and the right and responsibility of each citizen to vote, and has encouraged dioceses,
parishes and other Catholic institutions to participate in non-partisan voting registration efforts.

The right to vote is essential to our democracy and HR 9 protects this right. I know that
you are committed to timely Congressional action to renew and restore this vital law and I
commend you for your leadership in co-sponsoring The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and
Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. Please use
every resource to bring the bill up for consideration in the House of Representatives as soon as
possible.

Thank you for considering my request.

Sincerely,

Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, PhD, DD
Bishop of Brooklyn
Chairman, Domestic Policy Committee

DATE:  May 

HOLLY'S LAW STILL NECESSARY TO PROTECT WOMEN FROM RU-486

WASHINGTON The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened a public workshop in Atlanta on May 11 in response to women?s deaths from the abortion drug RU-486, also known as Mifeprex. It was co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health.
Five American women have died from infections after undergoing RU-486 abortions, and another died from an undiagnosed ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Over 800 others have suffered serious or life-threatening adverse health effects. Women in Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom have also died after taking RU-486.
Deirdre A. McQuade, Director of Planning and Information at the USCCB Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, attended the event and observed: Women seeking elective chemical abortions remain at risk with RU-486 on the market.
We continue to call for the passage of Holly's Law to temporarily suspend FDA approval of RU-486 while its approval process is reviewed, Ms. McQuade said.
Holly's Law (H.R. 1079) is named in memory of Holly Patterson, a young California woman who died from septic shock after undergoing an RU-486 abortion.
The CDC workshop is a constructive step, but no substitute for the provisions in Holly's Law, as it neither addresses the distinct risks posed by RU-486 nor offers any immediate protection of women's lives, Ms. McQuade said.


USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat

Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing
P.O. Box 120552 . Nashville, Tennessee . 37212 . 615-463-0070
e-mail: tcask@tcask.org
Promoting Alternatives to Capital Punishment in Tennessee

For Immediate Release     

Contact: Randy Tatel
May 2, 2006
(615)463-0070

State Refuses to Allow DNA Test Before Execution
Untested DNA Evidence Pivotal as Sedley Alley Faces Lethal Injection

Nashville: The state of Tennessee is scheduled to execute Sedley Alley on May 17th, despite serious questions about the reliability of his conviction and the availability of DNA testing which could put all doubt to rest. The state has refused to release evidence for DNA testing.

Alley was convicted of the 1985 murder and abduction of Suzanne Marie Collins. At the time of Alley?s initial trial, DNA testing was not available. However, the state currently possesses a number of articles of clothing both from Ms. Collins and her abductor, which could be subjected to DNA testing to establish with certainty whether or not Sedley Alley killed Suzanne Collins. The testing can be done at no cost to the state and without any delay in the execution, should the DNA match Alley's.

If we can verify guilt or innocence with scientific certainty, we are obligated to do that with a human life at stake, said Randy Tatel, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing (TCASK). The people of Tennessee deserve to know absolutely if our state is executing the right person.

Evidence that was previously withheld from the defense indicates that, according to the coroner, Ms. Collins died no earlier than 1:30 am. Police reports indicate that Alley was brought in for questioning at 12:10 am and was under surveillance thereafter. This new evidence casts doubt on Alley's initial conviction.

DNA testing could put such questions to rest. The state has so far refused to release the evidence in its possession, including the victim's undergarments, running shorts, t-shirt, and shoes as well as a pair of underwear that presumably belonged to her attacker. Such evidence would almost certainly provide DNA samples that could be tested.

The DNA testing can be done quickly and at no cost to the state, said Tatel. Why would the state object to a test that provides decisive proof? What is Tennessee so afraid of?

TCASK is a grassroots organization with more than 1000 individual members and 7 chapters statewide. To date, over 100 groups in Tennessee have called for a moratorium on executions, including NAMI-TN Nashville chapter, TACDL, and United Methodist Church Tennessee Annual Conference.  Nationally, over 4,200 organizations, businesses, faith communities, and political bodies have called for a moratorium.

For more information on Tennessee's death penalty, visit www.tcask.org.
 

Office of Social Development & World Peace
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000


Keep Up the Momentum and
Join the Million Voices for Darfur Campaign
April 17, 2006


WHY THIS ISSUE IS IMPORTANT: Although the U.S. bishops were deeply gratified when the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved its version the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (H.R. 3127) a few weeks ago, conference committee action will still be necessary to reconcile minor differences with the previously passed Senate version (S. 1462) of this bill. As indicated in their repeated calls for enactment of this legislation, the bishops hope that these measures will help to bring an end to the atrocities suffered by the people of Darfur in western Sudan, where innocent civilians remain trapped in the middle of violent clashes between the Sudanese army and rebel forces, as well as subject to inhuman cruelty at the hands of the janjaweed militia under the sponsorship of the government in Khartoum. In addition to the 400,000 people who have died since 2003, 2.5 million have been driven from their homes and 3.5 million are at risk of starvation.

In the face of the intolerable human suffering resulting from this brutal, government-sanctioned campaign against the people of Darfur, which the U.S. government has labeled genocide, we must answer the appeal of Pope Benedict XVI, last November. Our Holy Father stated that The horror of events unfolding in Darfur, to which my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II referred on many occasions, points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights. Today, I add my voice to the cry of the suffering and assure you that the Holy See will continue to do everything possible to end the cycle of violence and misery.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Such encouraging legislative victories point to the need to redouble efforts to bring pressure to bear on the Sudanese government. If you haven?t already done so, now is the moment to make your voice heard by joining the Million Voices for Darfur Campaign. In support of our mission to follow the Gospel's call to alleviate human suffering and promote justice throughout the world, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has joined the Save Darfur Coalition to stand against the heinous cruelty being inflicted on the innocent and to promote this campaign. The Coalition, an alliance of over 150 faith-based, humanitarian and human rights organizations, seeks to collect one-million postcards encouraging the President in his call for a stronger multinational force to protect the people of Darfur. These postcards are available both in paper and electronically (www.savedarfur.org).

For any diocese or parish that would like to do more to express solidarity with those suffering in Darfur, the Coalition is also inviting people to participate in the Save Darfur Rally on the afternoon of Sunday, April 30, on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Details are available on the website or by telephone at 202-478-6311 (voice) or 202-478-6196 (fax).

TAKE ACTION NOW! Make sure that your elected officials know that the American people stand by their commitment to the people of Darfur. Please tell the President and Congress today that the United States must make protecting the innocent civilians of Darfur a top priority. Remind our leaders that the American people cannot remain on the sidelines in the face of killings, rape and wanton destruction. As Bishop Ricard stated in a call to action on behalf of the bishops last September, The crisis in Darfur must be ended. We cannot stand idly by while human life is threatened. The United States and the international community can and must do more to end this moral and humanitarian crisis.

As an especially effective way of doing this, you may wish to take advantage of the materials provided by the Save Darfur Coalition, since these postcards?both electronic and handwritten will be delivered to the President and Congress at the Save Darfur Rally at the end of the month. Don't miss this unique opportunity to join a million voices crying out to save Darfur.

For more information, contact:
Theodore Rectenwald, Policy Advisor - African Affairs, 202-541-3149, TRectenwald@usccb.org

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LIFE ISSUES FORUM
March 23, 2006
For Immediate Release
Of sharecroppers, embryos and government
by Richard M. Doerflinger        

            On March 7, a House Government Reform subcommittee heard testimony on the South Korean human cloning fraud and its implications for this country.  Amazingly, subcommittee members who support cloning human embryos for research actually used the scandal to argue that U.S. taxpayers should be forced to subsidize such research. If the federal government does human cloning, they claimed, this will ensure the highest scientific and ethical standards, so there will be no more fraud.
           Setting aside the fact that cloning humans is inherently wrong, this simply ignored the facts.  Testifying before the panel, I noted that Dr. Woo Suk Hwang and his team did not start out as frauds.  They started out trying to make human cloning work, to obtain genetically tailored embryonic stem cells for research and treatments.  After $43 million in government funds, the bribing and/or pressuring of over a hundred women for their eggs, and hundreds of cloning attempts, the project was a total failure.  The researchers had become so focused on the goal, and so indifferent to the ethical character of the means, that they finally resorted to outright fraud to show success. 
            The key word here is failure.  No matter who tries it, how much money goes into it, or who is exploited to serve it, therapeutic cloning has been a dismal failure.  So now Congress should say: Aha! The very sort of thing we like to make Americans put their tax dollars into
          At one point the Tuskegee syphilis experiment came up as an example of unethical human research.  In that study, hundreds of poor black sharecroppers in Alabama were deliberately left with untreated syphilis from 1932 to 1972, long after reliable treatments were available, so the disease's course could be observed for 40 years.  A panel member reminded her colleagues that government must guard against such disregard for ethics today as well.
          Two other panel members reacted angrily to this analogy.  One member insisted that Tuskegee was only about racism in the Old South. Another said Tuskegee just proves his point that cloning should be publicly funded, because that abuse happened due to the lack of oversight by a public agency.
          Actually the Tuskegee study was conducted by a public agency, the U.S. Public Health Service.  The researchers even used their official clout to ensure that subjects enlisting in the Army during World War II did not receive the mandatory syphilis screening and treatment given to other recruits.  And while racism was surely a factor, black physicians and nurses were among those conducting the study.  One of them, Eunice Rivers, had the most direct contact with the subjects and was lead author of the researchers self-congratulatory follow-up article in Public Health Reports in 1953.
           What Tuskegee and cloning research have in common is an ethic that treats some humans, before or after birth, as lab rats as mere means to a higher end.  Creating and destroying early human lives, harming and coercing women, falsifying results, cynically promising miracle cures to vulnerable patients all have been defended as the price we must pay for progress.  The question is: Why should we call that progress?

(Mr. Doerflinger is Deputy Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.)

USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat

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