NEWS CLIPS
1. Priorities at the Polls
(USCCB - by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann) - As Catholics approach the polls, we are asked to weigh many important issues. The U.S. bishops have reaffirmed that “the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.”[1] While they did warn us not to “dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity such as racism, the environmental crisis, poverty, and the death penalty,” they did give priority to upholding and defending our brothers’ and sisters’ most basic right—to live.
Abortion tragically ends someone’s life when he or she is most vulnerable and most in need of loving protection. Abortion is an intrinsic evil, meaning that it is never permitted or morally justified, regardless of individual circumstances or intentions. The personal and societal consequences of attacks against human life, whether at its earliest stages or at its final stages, are all the more serious because most often they are “carried out in the very heart of and with the complicity of the family—the family which by its nature is called to be the ‘sanctuary of life.’”[2] This is the place where a person should be most loved, cherished, and protected. MORE
RELATED: Archbishop Naumann was the keynote speaker at the 2020 Respect Life Conference, co-sponsored by the Diocese of Steubenville and Franciscan University of Steubenville. Online views for the conference has surpassed 2,000. Check it out here.
|
October 22, 2020
Pope St. John Paul the Great, Pray for us!
In this issue ...
News Clips
Headlines
Married and Family Life
Tidbits
About
VIDEO
Reflection on the
2020 Election
Most Rev. Jeffrey M.
Monforton
Bishop of Steubenville
|
|
2. Netherlands prepares for child euthanasia
(BioEdge) - It hardly comes as a surprise, but doctors in The Netherlands may soon be able to euthanise children under 12. They are already authorised to euthanise babies up to 12 months old and children over 12. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge told the Dutch Parliament earlier this week that this should be possible for "a small group of terminally ill children who agonize with no hope, and unbearable suffering." He estimates that this will be applicable to five or ten children a year. Dr de Jonge suggested that in rare cases where doctors felt that it was necessary to end the lives of children outside the law, they were being given “terminal sedation” which effectively means, as bioethics writer Wesley J. Smith commented, “put in an artificial coma and dehydrated to death”. But doctors are shielded from prosecution if they can show that there was no other alternative, a doctrine known as “force majeure”. MORE
RELATED: Euthanasia laws show that there will always be more reasons to kill >>
3. What did Pope Francis say about civil unions?
(CAN) - “Francesco,” a newly released documentary on the life and ministry of Pope Francis, has made global headlines, because the film contains a scene in which Pope Francis calls for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples. Some activists and media reports have suggested that Pope Francis has changed Catholic teaching by his remarks. Among many Catholics, the pope’s comments have raised questions about what the pope really said, what it means, and what the Church teaches about civil unions and marriage. CNA looks at those questions. What did Pope Francis say about civil unions? During a segment of “Francesco” which discussed Pope Francis’ pastoral care of Catholics who identify as LGBT, the pope made two distinct comments. MORE
RELATED: Questions emerge regarding Pope Francis' statement on same-sex civil unions >>
4. Pennsylvania Legislature Must Recognize Harms of Decriminalizing Entire Sex Trade
(NCOSE) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) expressed strong opposition to a bill introduced by Rep. Summer Lee into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that would fully decriminalize the entire commercial sex industry including pimping, sex buying, and brothel owning. “We oppose this harmful policy proposal, as it will explode the demand for commercial sex thereby causing extensive harm to vulnerable people in Pennsylvania. There are never enough people willing to be exploited and degraded by this highly manipulative and dangerous trade,” said Dawn Hawkins, senior vice president and executive director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. “Wherever the sex trade is normalized, sex trafficking increases, as demonstrated by an academic study of 150 countries led by the London School of Economics. MORE
5. Pregnancy resource centers served nearly 2 million people in 2019
(PHN) - The Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) has just released its latest study on the impact of pro-life pregnancy resource centers (PRCs). “Pregnancy Centers Stand the Test of Time” is based on national survey data provided by Care Net, Heartbeat International, and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates as well as several smaller networks. It noted that a growing number of PRCs are now considered medical pregnancy centers/clinics and many medical workers are now among the tens of thousands of staff and volunteers at PRCs. In 2019, 2,700 pregnancy centers were represented in CLI’s report, up slightly from a previous analysis for 2017, which identified only 2,600 PRCs. PRCs identified in the 2019 report provided approximately 1.85 million people in the United States with free services, for an estimated total value of services at over $266 million. “A higher number of “smaller” pregnancy centers seeing lower numbers of clients/patients participated in the 2020 survey process. This was reflected in lower totals in some client statistics categories in the 2019 results as compared to the 2017 results,” the report states. MORE
|
|
US bishops launch novena for Election Day >>
President Trump Signs Executive Order Protecting Born-Alive Infants >>
Remember how urgent it was to support embryonic stem cell research? That was then; this is now >>
Divided 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel rules against Texas ban on Dismemberment Abortions >>
Final vote on the confirmation of Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court expected on Monday >>
Heartbreaking: Parents balk as sibling asks for funeral for aborted sibling with Down syndrome >>
Supreme Court refuses to rule on FDA request to keep abortion pill safeguards in place >>
Texas Supreme Court rejects hospital’s plea to withdraw treatment from baby Tinslee >>
Appeals court upholds Kentucky law requiring abortion facilities to have hospital transfer agreements >>
Man whose blood saved millions of preborn babies just made his last donation >>
|
|
7 Tips on Praying with your Spouse
(Messy Family Project) - For some couples, praying together is very natural but for others, it feels awkward or forced. The reality is that there are many different ways to pray with our spouse and every couple is unique! Here’s some tips on how you can engage in speaking to your Heavenly Father as a couple, bound together with Him in a covenant of love. Each type of prayer is important – blessing, intercession, plea for guidance, communal prayer, and repentance. Growing in your prayer life is an essential way to develop and deepen your relationship, but also a way for you to support your spouse and love them more profoundly. The more united you are, the more powerful your prayer is. MORE
BONUS: The Shocking Tactics Sex Traffickers Use to Trap Your Kids and 5 Ways You Can Protect Them >>
|
|
|
10 Things People Get Wrong About Columbus
(TFP) - Every Columbus Day is the same: Christopher Columbus is attacked. His statues are desecrated. Public monuments in his honor are threatened or removed. Every year, more states and cities change Columbus Day to “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” or “Native Americans’ Day.” And left-wing professors smear the once-revered hero who discovered America in 1492. Should Columbus be vilified instead of honored? MORE
Fired by a Catholic Health System for Practicing Medicine as a Catholic
(NCBC) - Megan Kreft, a physician assistant from Portland, OR, talks to Joe Zalot about her experiences working for, and being terminated by, Providence Medical Group. Episode 44 of "Bioethics on Air" from the National Catholic Bioethics Center. LISTEN
2020 State Legislative Sessions Report
(AUL) - Americans United for Life is proud to unveil the 2020 State Legislative Sessions Report, an annual Report on government affairs from America’s leader in life-affirming law and policy. Every election year brings unexpected challenges, but 2020 has truly been a year like no other. MORE
Do Pro-Life Laws and Strict Constitutionalists on the Supreme Court Make a Difference?
(NRL) - Every four years during a presidential election cycle, it shows up like clockwork. Some concerned pro-lifer writes to NRLC that abortions go up or down, independent of which party holds the White House, or even go so far as to claim they go down when there are Democrat Presidents. MORE
Sexual Orientation Is Not What You Think It Is
(PublicDiscourse) - Judge Amy Coney Barrett got a moralistic finger wagging from Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) last week in her hearings because she used the term “ sexual preference” rather than “sexual orientation.” Hirono said Barrett’s word choice “did speak volumes” about her philosophy because, as the senator explained, “sexual preference is an offensive and outdated term.” MORE
Supreme Court Rulings Already Impacting Catholic Schools
(NewmanSociety) - This month, even before the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, the Court’s importance to Catholics was made apparent — and Catholic educators especially should take notice. MORE
The Good and Bad News About Marriage in the Time of COVID
(IFStudies) - The popular takes on marriage in the time of COVID-19 run all over the map. COVID is straining American families. No, maybe it’s making them stronger. Divorce rates in America are soaring, says the Daily Mail, while The New York Post says, no, divorce rates are falling. MORE
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Culture of Life Update is published monthly by the Office of Marriage, Family and Respect Life of the Diocese of Steubenville. Designed for busy people, the Culture of Life Update provides a once-a-month overview of news stories related to life, marriage and the family. It's a great and easy way to get informed.
The news provided in the Culture of Life Update is for information purposes only. The inclusion of any article is not meant to be an endorsement of a particular author’s viewpoint, nor it is meant to be an endorsement of the organization providing the information.
Learn more about our ministries...
|
|
|
|
