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1. COVID-19 Vaccine Ethics: Sorting Out the Statements

(NCRegister) — Dominican Father Michael Hurley, pastor of St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco, has firsthand experience with the escalating controversy over the ethics of receiving one of the three vaccines approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for emergency use to immunize Americans against the novel coronavirus.

As Father Hurley tells it, most of his flock in this diverse urban parish accepts the long-standing teaching of the Vatican on receiving morally controversial vaccines, partly summarized in a December 2020 instruction issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“[W]hen ethically irreproachable COVID-19 vaccines are not available,” stated the congregation, “it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.” The CDF said the “use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion from which the cells” were derived. MORE

RELATED: Ohio Bishops address the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in their March 29, 2021 letter
March 30, 2021


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Protesting Unethical Practices in the Creation of Vaccines
 

Use these sample letters to contact pharmaceutical companies.
2. U.S. Bishop Chairmen Say Equality Act Would Discriminate Against People of Faith and Threaten Unborn Life

(USCCB) - Five committee chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote a letter to members of Congress opposing the recent reintroduction of the Equality Act (H.R. 5), which is scheduled to be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives this week. The bishops warned of the threats posed by the proposed legislation to both people of faith and of no faith, with respect to mandates impacting charities and their beneficiaries in need, health care and other conscience rights, taxpayer funding of abortion, freedom of speech, women’s sports and sex-specific facilities, and more. Their letter explained: “[E]very person is made in the image of God and should be treated accordingly, with respect and compassion. This commitment is reflected in the Church’s charitable service to all people, without regard to race, religion, or any other characteristic. It means we need to honor every person’s right to gainful employment free of unjust discrimination or harassment, and to the basic goods that they need to live and thrive. It also means that people of differing beliefs should be respected.” MORE
 
3. Vatican’s doctrinal office: Catholic Church cannot give blessings to same-sex unions

(CNA).- The Vatican’s doctrinal office on Monday clarified that the Catholic Church does not have the power to give liturgical blessings of homosexual unions. Answering the question, “does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex,” the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith responded, “negative.” In an accompanying note, the doctrine office explained that blessings are sacramentals, and “consequently, in order to conform with the nature of sacramentals, when a blessing is invoked on particular human relationships, in addition to the right intention of those who participate, it is necessary that what is blessed be objectively and positively ordered to receive and express grace, according to the designs of God inscribed in creation, and fully revealed by Christ the Lord.” “Therefore, only those realities which are in themselves ordered to serve those ends are congruent with the essence of the blessing imparted by the Church,” the CDF said. MORE

4. Several research groups create ‘artificial’ embryos

(BioEdge) - Four lab groups have almost simultaneously published research showing that it is possible to create structures which are nearly identical to human embryos. According to Nature, “Two teams published their results in Nature on 17 March; last week, two other groups reported similar results on the bioRxiv preprint server that have not been peer reviewed. These experiments offer a window into a crucial time in human development, and an opportunity to better understand pregnancy loss and infertility without experimenting on human embryos.” Most of what scientists know about the early development comes from studying human embryos up to 14 days – the legal limit in most countries. The research groups have created structures they call blastoids or iBlastoids which could bypass the need for stopping research at 14 days. Two of the scientists involved in an Australia-based study explain in The Conversation that: “While iBlastoids and blastoids both seem to be structurally and functionally similar to real blastocysts, it is not yet clear exactly how closely they resemble true embryos formed by a sperm and an egg. While the models were shown to share gene patterns and respond in culture in ways characteristic of actual embryos, researchers also saw significant anomalies, such as unsynchronised growth and cells that are not usually present in an embryo.” MORE
 
5. Joe Biden Signs COVID Bill With the Greatest Expansion of Abortion Funding in a Decade

(LifeNews) - Joe Biden today signed the so-called COVID relief bill that is the greatest expansion of abortion in a decade. Although he claims to be a “devout Catholic,” Biden just signed a bill that forces Americans to fund abortions and the Planned Parenthood abortion business. It is the largest expansion of abortion funding since 2010, when Democrats passed Obamacare. The COVID relief bill that spends all but 9% on COVID relief and will spend tens of millions, perhaps over $100 million on funding abortions and the Planned Parenthood abortion corporation. In the Senate, Democrats defeated a pro-life amendment that would have stopped the COVID relief bill from using tens of millions and perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars to fund killing babies in abortions. Democrat Senators Joe Manchin and Bob Casey, who both claim to be pro-life, voted for the abortion-funding legislation after the amendment was defeated. The Senate voted 52-47 to defeat the pro-life amendment offered by Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma to apply the Hyde Amendment to the COVID bill. Every Republican voted for the amendment along with Democrat senators Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Senator Sullivan of Alaska did not vote. despite voting for the amendment to stop abortion funding, Casey and Manchin eventually voted for the abortion-funding bill. MORE
 
RELATED: Biden's contradictory Catholicism misleading and confusing, Archbishop Naumann says >>

Spain becomes the fifth country to legalise euthanasia >>
 
Brazil and other Pro-Life Countries Thwart Biden Administration on Abortion at UN >>
 
IVF dramatically increases twins around the world >>
 
Pennsylvania's long-standing abortion funding ban wins lopsided victory in court >>
 
Biden instructs HHS to undo Trump Administration’s Title X ‘Protect Life Rule’ >>
 
Virginia governor signs death penalty repeal >>
 
Second Massachusetts city to recognize polyamorous relationships >>
 
Biden Administration Puts Pro-Life Groups on Domestic Extremist List >>
 
Singer with cystic fibrosis wins golden ticket to Hollywood on American Idol >>
 
55,875 Babies Saved through Planned Parenthood Closures >>
 
As pandemic drags on, Cardinal Dolan calls for focus on a culture of life >>


 
 
 U.S. Bishops’ Marriage and Family Life Secretariat Launches Web Pages for Celebration of “Year of Amoris Laetitia Family”
 
(USCCB) - Marking the fifth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), Pope Francis has asked the Church to celebrate the family and reflect upon how ministry supports married couples and the family in every level of Church life. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth is coordinating the anniversary celebration in the U.S.
 
The “Year of Amoris Laetitia Family” is meant to be an opportunity for reflection and appreciation of the Holy Father’s apostolic exhortation. In launching this initiative, the Vatican is upholding the important role that families play, which has been highlighted during the COVID pandemic. The spiritual, pastoral, and cultural content and resources for the initiative are meant to reach families around the world and are meant to be implemented at the local level in parishes and dioceses, as well as in universities, by ecclesial movements, and family associations. MORE

RELATED: Building a Better Family >>
 


“Roe v Wade: The Real Story You’ve Never Been Told”
 
(NRTL) - When television programs or movies that are fair to our Movement come across our radar, National Right to Life wants to make sure our audience of grassroots champions get a heads up. Enter Nick Loeb’s movie “Roe v Wade: The Real Story You’ve Never Been Told,” a fact-based dramatization of the events that culminated in that dreadful 1973 decision. MORE
 
 
Utah-based charity raises funds to help families adopt kids with Down syndrome
 
(LiveAction) - With World Down Syndrome Day approaching, a Utah-based charity is sponsoring races to raise money to find homes for children with Down syndrome around the world. Unlike many charities that connect families with children in need, Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome (RODS) first finds a child with Down syndrome in need of a family and helps to fund their adoption. MORE
 
 
VIDEO: Scientists Grow Mouse Embryos in Artificial Womb – Are Humans Next?
 
(EWTN) - Scientists are growing mouse embryos in an artificial womb and say humans could be next – Joseph Meaney, Ph.D. of the National Catholic Bioethics Center and David Prentice Ph.D. of the Charlotte Lozier Institute break down why this is concerning and how experimenting on human embryos violate our pro-life and Catholic beliefs. WATCH
 
 
What’s Next for Child Care Policy? 
 
(IFStudies) - The $1,400-per-person checks and one-year introduction of a child allowance got all the headlines in coverage of the recently-passed American Rescue Plan (ARP). But the lines may have been drawn for future battles in some provisions that went under the radar. MORE
 
Pro-Life Catholics Defend Archbishop Naumann From ‘Cancel-Culture’
 
(CatholicVote) - A left-wing organization created a petition demanding Archbishop Joseph Naumann be removed from his role as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. The petitioners took issue with Naumann’s recent statement–praised as courageous by many Catholics–that Joe Biden ought to stop receiving communion and calling himself a “devout Catholic” if he continues to support abortion. MORE
 
Bioethics on Air (Episode 58): Conscience and COVID-19 Vaccines
 
(NCBC) – National Catholic Bioethics Center President Joseph Meaney and Staff Ethicist John Di Camillo join Joe Zalot to discuss forming conscience with regard to COVID-19 vaccines. LISTEN
 


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. 

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