Stand in Solidarity with the Hungry
| On the first Friday of each month between now and April 6, 2012, the Catholic Bishops' Department on Justice, Peace and Human Development is urging prayerful fasting as way for Catholics to stand in solidarity with the hungry of the world. The department suggests eating meals that cost only as much as is allotted for a family of your size by the USDA Modified Thrifty Food Plan (which is used as the basis for food stamps). For more on this First Fridays For Food Security program, click here.
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USCCB Denied Contract to Serve Victims of Human Trafficking
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The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was recently denied a contract to provide services to victims of human trafficking by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The news came after the USCCB had developed a network of providers, including those of various religious faiths, that provided coverage nationwide for victims of the heinous practice of modern-day slavery. Are we as a nation returning to the days of "Catholics need not apply" ? Click here for more.
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U.S. House Passes Protect Life Act
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Thanks in part to the efforts of our Citizens' Network, on Oct. 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Protect Life Act," a bill that would bring the federal health care reform bill in line with current policies protecting conscience rights of health care workers and preventing federal funds from being used to pay for abortions or for insurance policies that cover abortions.
Sponsored by Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.) and Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), the bill received bipartisan support and passed by a vote of 251 to 172. To see how Missouri representatives voted, click here.
The bill applies the Hyde Amendment to the health care reform act passed last year. It also would prevent the federal government from pressuring health care workers into participating in abortion procedures against their moral and/or religious beliefs. Read the USCCB's statement on the House's passage of the bill here.
The bill now goes to the Senate where it will face fierce opposition. For his part, President Obama strongly opposes and is expected to veto the bill if it becomes law, despite signing an executive order last year promising to protect conscience rights and to keep federal funds from being used to pay for abortion.
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Poverty in Missouri
| The 2010 Census and the American Community Survey, an annual project of the U.S. Census Bureau, recently released data illustrating the magnitude of Missouri's poverty problem.
Here are a few of the highlights:
- 15.3% of Missourians have incomes below the poverty level. (The poverty level for 2011 is $22,350 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
- 17.5% of Missouri families with children have incomes below the poverty level.
- When children are under age 5, the poverty rate rises to 21.6%.
- In families headed by a single female with children under age 5, the rate reaches 48.2%.
- The median income for a full-time, year-round female worker in Missouri is nearly $10,000 less than for her male counterpart.
- 15.3% of Missourians in the labor force have no health insurance.
- 27.8% of Missouri households have incomes below $25,000.
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Perspective on Parental Rights in Education
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Recently, the American Center for School Choice teamed up with redefinED in a joint effort to focus attention on empowering parents about their rights to educate their own children.
In a recent communication, redefinED included an article by John E. Coons, who is a co-founder of the American Center for School Choice and has advocated on behalf of school choice for many years. He is a professor emeritus of law at the University of California, Berkeley.
To read the Coons article, click here.
The mission of the American Center for School Choice is rooted in two basic propositions:
- The education of the child is a fundamental responsibility of the family.
- Enabling parents to choose the school that will best help them to fulfill this responsibility will strengthen families, schools and communities.
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California Bishop Decries Passage of HPV Vaccine Bill
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California Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed into law a bill allowing children as young as 12 to make decisions concerning vaccination for the HPV virus without parental notification. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles stated that the bill represents a "serious erosion of parental rights in California."
Read more about this here.
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Legislative Primer
| In preparation for the 2012 session of the Missouri General Assembly, the Missouri Catholic Conference will over the next several months provide brief information on the legislative process. We offer these primers so network members can be more effective in their advocacy. For the first of these primers, click here. |
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