October 2019
October 2019

Continuing the U.S. Bishops' work of promoting and defending marriage.
U.S. Supreme Court Oral Argument
On October 8, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument regarding the meaning of the word “sex” in the nondiscrimination provisions of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

There were three cases bundled together—two alleging discrimination based on “sexual orientation” (SO) and one alleging discrimination based on “gender identity” (GI). All three claim that the ban on “sex” discrimination applies to these classes as well.

The USCCB filed two amicus briefs, one on each issue ( sexual orientation and gender identity ), arguing against the redefinition of the word “sex."

The faithful may pray a novena for the argument starting September 30.

Made for Love Podcast
Last month's Made for Love episodes were on Hospitality and Parents as the Primary Educators.

Catholic families are called to be missionary disciples, reaching out to others with the love of Jesus. How can spouses cultivate hospitality? This episode features Sr. Mariae Agnus Dei of the Sisters of Life, Soren and Ever Johnson of Trinity House, and Anna Hitchings (an Australian!).

What does the Church mean when it insists that parents are the first educators of their children? Today we’ll talk about some of the different ways that Catholic families engage in education, from homeschooling to co-ops to Catholic schools to public schools. This episode features Mary Pat Donoghue, Executive Director for the Secretariat of Education at the USCCB, Tom Burnford, President and CEO of the National Catholic Educational Association, Jay Boren of St. Benedict in MA, Sara and Andy Sefranek, and Lindsay Schlegal, author of Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God .

In October, Made for Love will discuss the effects of incarceration on the family.
Archbishop Chaput on Fr. James Martin, SJ
Archbishop Chaput, the Archbishop of Philadelphia and the current Chairman for the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, wrote a column on September 19 regarding Father James Martin and Catholic Belief .

Subcommittee Chairman, Bishop Conley, added his thoughts in his column on September 27 .
Arizona Catholic Conference Statement
The Arizona Catholic Conference issued a statement after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brush & Nib Studio in Phoenix, AZ.

This is the case in which a city ordinance threatened to shut down the calligraphy studio if it refused to hand-make invitations to same-sex ceremonies.
USCCB Action Alerts
All the USCCB's action alerts for legislative priorities are available at one website. There you can contact your representatives and make your voice heard. Check it out!
Legal/ Policy Updates
Arizona – In a major victory for religious liberty, two entrepreneur calligraphers, Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, won their case ( Brush & Nib Studio v. City of Phoenix ) before the Arizona supreme court on September 16. Under a city ordinance, they would been forced to do custom work for same-sex weddings against their faith.

California – On September 17, a state appeals court revived a lawsuit, Minton v. Dignity Health , filed by a person who was transferred from a Catholic to a non-Catholic hospital in the same network to receive “gender transition” surgery, arguing that this amounted to “gender identity” discrimination by the Catholic hospital and the network. Another Catholic hospital under a similar suit ( Knight v. St. Joseph ), as a result, has backed away from its own defensive motion to dismiss.

Ohio – A federal judge allowed a lawsuit, ( Ray v. Himes) , against Ohio’s policy to not change “sex” on birth certificates to go forward on September 12. Ohio is one of two remaining states to maintain birth certificates as an accurate record of birth sex.

Michigan – Foster families and St. Vincent Catholic Charities won an important preliminary injunction on September 26 in their suit against the Michigan state government, Buck v. Gordon , to prevent it from effectively shutting down faith-based adoption and foster care agencies that cannot work with same-sex couple.
Made for Love | USCCB | (202) 541-3000 | [email protected]| www.marriageuniqueforareason.org