Last Friday was a very dark day as the House of Representatives voted to pass the most radical abortion bill ever. The so-called Women’s Health Protection Act, H.R. 3755, would:

• Allow abortion on demand nationwide throughout EVERY STAGE of pregnancy
• BAN pro-life laws in every state and local government 
• Force Americans to support abortions with their tax dollars
• Likely eliminate conscience protections for doctors—among other extreme actions

 TAKE ACTION NOW!

Of those present, all but one House Democrat voted for the bill and all House Republicans voted against. The single House Democrat to vote against the bill was Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas. You can see how your representative voted here.

In his statement responding to this vote, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called this bill “the most extreme pro-abortion bill our nation has ever seen.”

Please contact your Representative today either to thank him/her for voting against H.R. 3755 or to express strong, but respectful, disagreement with their vote for the bill while urging him/her to reconsider support for this radical bill. 

In addition, we believe it is likely that the Senate will also vote on this bill in the very near future. So, please also contact your two Senators to strongly urge their opposition to the Senate version of this bill (S. 1975) when it comes up for a vote.  

TAKE ACTION NOW!

As always, we are grateful for any action you can take on this matter and for all you do to proclaim the Gospel of Life. Please also join us in praying that our nation and its leaders will fully embrace this Gospel.

Further background:

Archbishop Naumann’s letter to Congress urging opposition to this bill

This fact sheet explaining the radical nature of this bill. 

In response to the Texas Pro Life Heartbeat law, Nancy Pelosi has announced that the US House will vote on a bill to codify Roe v Wade. As Pope Francis reiterated this week, abortion is murder, and this bill legalizes murder. The bill is called H.R. 3755 the Women’s Health Protection Act.

The US Bishops are asking for help in defeating this bill.

CLICK HERE TO HELP STOP IT

Pope Francis has compared abortion to hiring a hit man. Will US taxpayers be forced to pay for the killing?

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Hyde and Helms Amendments. If the Senate agrees with these repeals, your tax dollars would pay for abortions in the United States and overseas.

We can still stop taxpayer-funded abortion. But we have to fight even harder now. The Senate needs to hear from many, many more people.

Take Action

Don’t let our government make you pay for the deaths of innocent babies. Sign the petition at www.notaxpayerabortion.com !

Call the Senate: https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/USCCB/Campaigns/86954/Respond

This week, the House Committee on Appropriations will mark up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill, which currently excludes the 46-year-old Hyde Amendment and other longstanding, bipartisan provisions including the Weldon Amendment. Eliminating these provisions would force taxpayers to pay for elective abortions and force health care providers and professionals to perform and refer for abortion against their deeply-held beliefs, as well as force employers and insurers to cover and pay for abortion.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement expressing deep concerns, saying:

“This is the most extreme pro-abortion appropriations bill that we have seen, effectively mandating healthcare professionals to participate in abortion, and forcing American citizens to pay for abortion with their tax dollars…We implore the House Committee on Appropriations to reverse course on these bills that currently expand taxpayer funding of abortion, and to restore the longstanding, bipartisan Hyde provisions and Weldon Amendment that have saved millions of lives and protected conscience rights.”

The full statement can be read here.

Without the Hyde Amendment and Hyde-related policies, billions of taxpayer dollars could be used to pay for abortion in the United States and throughout the world. Eliminating the Weldon Amendment would be an egregious violation of conscience rights by forcing individuals and entities to perform, pay for, or otherwise participate in an abortion against their beliefs. 

Don’t let our government make you pay for, or participate in, the taking of innocent human life.

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS NOW

Congress needs to hear from you: tell Congress to keep the Hyde Amendment and other Hyde-related policies, and the Weldon Amendment in the appropriations bills, and to oppose any bill that expands taxpayer funding of abortion.

To learn more, click here and here.

Governor Cooper has vetoed legislation that would ban abortions due to a Down syndrome diagnosis. The NC House has scheduled a vote to override the Governor’s veto on July 21st, the NC Senate would also need to override the Governor.

At least 30 votes are required in the Senate to override a governor’s veto, as well as at least 72 in the House. The Senate is made up of 28 Republicans and 22 Democrats, while the House has 69 Republicans and 53 Democrats. The Senate approved HB453 on June 10 with no Democratic “yes” votes. The House approved the bill May 6 with six Democrats voting yes.

Bishop Zarama has expressed his appreciation to lawmakers for this legislation as it supports the “dignity and sanctity of human life.”

Please contact your North Carolina representatives and urge them to override the Governor’s veto:

Urgent: Ask the NC General Assembly to vote to OVERRIDE Governor Cooper’s veto of HB453 (The Human Life Non-Discrimination Act)

Religious Freedom Week in the United States begins on Tuesday, June 22 and ends on Tuesday, June 29.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has a series of commemorations and prayers for each day of Religious Freedom Week | USCCB that cover both national and international issues.

Solidarity in Freedom

“Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community” (Fratelli tutti, 116).

Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all.  Beginning June 22, the feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, the USCCB invites Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom.

Pray-Reflect-Act

• June 22 – Adoption and Foster Care: Pray that children waiting to be placed in a loving home and the caregivers who serve those children will find strength and support from the Church.
• June 23 – Catholic Social Services during the Pandemic: Pray that God would continue to grant Catholic institutions the wisdom and courage to serve a world suffering the effects of the COVID pandemic.
• June 24 – The Equality Act: Pray that the dignity of all people will be respected in our country.
• June 25 – Church Vandalism: Pray that Christian witness in the face of attacks on our churches will convert hearts to faith in Jesus Christ.
• June 26 – Catholics in Nicaragua: Pray for our Catholic sisters and brothers who are suffering in Nicaragua.
• June 27 – Conscience Rights for Medical Professionals: Pray that governments will respect the consciences of all people who care for the sick and vulnerable.
• June 28 – Christians in Iraq: Pray for Christians in Iraq, and that people of all faiths in the land of Abraham may live in peace.
• June 29 – Free Speech: Pray that Christians will have the courage to speak the truth with kindness and clarity, even in the face of adversity.

On April 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a proposed rule on the Title X family planning program that would reverse the Trump Administration’s 2019 Title X Rule (also known as the “Protect Life Rule”).  On May 4th, the USCCB along with the Southern Baptists Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the Catholic Medical Association, the National Association of Catholic Nurses-USA, and The National Catholic Bioethics Center submitted joint comments pointing out several problems, including that the proposed rule would reintegrate abortion into what Congress intended to be a pre-pregnancy family planning program.

HHS needs to hear from us that this proposed rule is terrible policy and must be changed. The deadline for submitting your comments is May 17, 2021.

CLICK HERE to send your comments to the Department of HHS or find background information on Title X of the Public Health Service Act.

In this Month of Mary, please pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Life.  

https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/litanies/the-litany-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary

The Response is: Mary, pray for us.

Mary, Mother of all Life,
help us to respect human life from the moment of conception
to the moment of natural death. R.

Mary, Mother of Compassion,
You showed us how valuable a single life can be;
Help us to guard and protect the lives of all people entrusted to our care. R.

Mary, Mother of the Child Jesus,
with St. Joseph you formed the Holy Family.
Guard and protect all families in this earthly life; R.

Mary, Mother Most Holy,
You sanctified the vocation of motherhood;
Pour out your heavenly aid on all mothers and help them to be holy. R.

Mary, Mother of Sorrows,
Simeon’s prophecy foretold that a sword of suffering would pierce your heart;
Bring comfort and hope to all mothers who suffer over their children. R.

Mary, Full of Grace,
You had a choice in responding to God’s call;
Help us always to say “Yes” to the will of God in our lives,
And strive always to do whatever he tells us. R.

Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted,
Pour forth your heavenly grace on all who are in need of God’s healing,
Especially those involved in abortion;
Help them to experience the love and mercy of Christ, your Son. R.

Mary, Intercessor and Advocate,
We lift up the poor, the displaced, the marginalized and vulnerable members of society;
Help them to never abandon hope, but to place their trust in the God who gave them life. R.

Mary, Mother of the Word Incarnate, you bore in your womb him whom the heavens cannot contain;
Help us to bear witness to Christ by the example of our lives
And show the world the extravagant love of God. R.

All:
Remember, o most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer them. Amen.

Call to Action: Tell Your Senators to Oppose The Equality Act   
Cardinal Dolan has asked that we Stand Against Unjust Discrimination and Oppose the Equality Act. “ The Equality Act goes far beyond the noble desire to protect vulnerable people. It burdens consciences, severely curtails the rights of people to practice their faith, smuggles in an abortion mandate, and explicitly exempts itself from respecting religious freedom.“ 

The US Bishops are requesting that we Tell our Senators to Oppose The Equality Act.

Tell your Senators to oppose the Equality Act!

Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The Equality Act, which has now passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is being actively considered in the Senate, in many ways does the opposite and needs to be opposed. Instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith. The Equality Act would: punish faith-based organizations, such as charities and schools who serve everyone in their communities, simply because of their beliefs; force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women; risk mandating taxpayers to fund abortions; force people in everyday life, and especially health care workers, to support gender transition; and expand what the government considers a “public” place, forcing even some parish halls to host functions that conflict with Catholic beliefs.