For as much stress as they can cause to marriages, finances don't usually get a lot of direct attention around here. Jonathan and Amanda Teixeira of WalletWin are here to help, combining the vocation of Catholic families with money management wisdom. Kara joins (16:40) to find Andrew debuting an exciting new podcast segment coinciding with the final film in the " Before trilogy ", Before Midnight.
In the prior episode, in addition to chatting about the previous entry in the trilogy, we were joined by Soren & Ever Johnson, fresh off their talk at the 2022 World Meeting of Families in Rome, to talk about discernment in family life, how it’s oriented toward communion, and their ministry with Trinity House Community.
Find previous episodes of the podcast here and share it with your friends!
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Resisting the (dis)"Respect for Marriage" Act |
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In response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Congress – instead of assisting women and children in need – is attempting to lock in other anti-family priorities. Facing a potential September vote in the U.S. Senate after passing the House of Representatives, the “Respect for Marriage Act” would prevent states from restoring the authentic understanding of marriage between man and woman if given the opportunity by the Supreme Court.
Moreover, it could even require the federal government to honor polyamorous “marriages” in states that move to allow it. Two USCCB Bishop chairmen issued a letter urging members of Congress to oppose the bill. Please tell your U.S. senators to vote “No” on the poorly-named Respect for Marriage Act. |
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Between the recent World Meeting of Families in Rome (where the US had a significant presence) and the USCCB's pastoral framework, " Called to the Joy of Love", there is a serious effort underway to renew the pastoral care of marriages and families. You can buy a copy of the pastoral framework or download the PDF.
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Dioceses Defending the Truth |
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Two more dioceses joined the growing number who are clearly upholding Christ's teaching on the human person. The Archdiocese of Omaha and the Diocese of Sioux Falls incorporated policies respecting the realities of human sexuality. You can find these and more in the Gender Theory section of our Resource page! |
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“Gender Transition” and Health Care – On August 25th, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a block against Arkansas’s law that would prohibit medical “gender transition” for minors. The next day, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a permanent injunction against a U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) regulation, “1557,” insofar as it attempts to force doctors and hospitals to perform “gender transition” procedures against their religious beliefs. While prior versions of that regulation and competing court decisions over them continue to unfold in this manner, however, HHS is still pursuing adoption of a new iteration of the mandate, which was officially proposed on August 4th. (See the USCCB webpage on this and other recent and upcoming hostile regulations to learn how you can help by submitting comments in the administrative process.) Meanwhile, this past month, Florida moved to stop its Medicaid program from paying for transitions. On August 29th, a Christian health clinic sued in hopes of stopping Michigan’s new interpretation of state civil right laws from requiring it to perform “gender transition” procedures. And in mental health, on August 16th, the governor of Pennsylvania issued an executive order banning what the state deems “conversion therapy” for minors and restricting and discouraging it for all.
Catholic Organization Employees - Catholic Relief Services lost a federal court ruling on August 3rd, which held that they violated the law in declining to provide spousal benefits for an employee’s partner in a same-sex civil “marriage.”
New Rights Created – On August 16th, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals became the first to declare that distress from gender dysphoria can qualify as a “disability” under the Americans with Disabilities Act, though differentiating that from “being transgender” to avoid both calling the latter a disability and a statutory limitation. The case stems from a lawsuit of a prison inmate but may have vast consequences for all manner of public places and businesses who would have to accommodate people’s “gender identities” in new ways.
Natural Family Planning – On August 12th, a federal court in Texas preliminarily blocked the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services’ move to drop natural family planning instruction and care from the Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines which require health coverage of listed items without a copay (this notably is also where the “HHS Contraceptive Mandate” resides).
Student Organizations – The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on August 29th ordered the San Jose, California, school district to reinstate the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as an official student organization, which had been removed for its requiring leaders to share traditional beliefs on sexuality. The same day, Yeshiva University requested an emergency stay from the U.S. Supreme Court against a lower court ruling ordering it to recognize a “Pride Alliance” student club.
School Lunch – The consequences of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s memo earlier this summer tying the National School Lunch Program to “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” nondiscrimination continue to develop. Upon a Christian school’s lawsuit in Florida, which claimed that the state Agriculture Commissioner threatened to use the memo to require schools to treat people in accord with their asserted gender identity in restrooms, dress codes, and more, or lose lunch funds, the government clarified and assured on August 12th that religious exemptions could be automatically utilized without needing to first file a written request for recognition of one.
School Sports – A court in Utah struck down the state’s law protecting women’s sports from male “transgender” competition on August 19th.
Local Schools – There continue to be many disputes across the country between parents and schools with respect to the latter’s imposing gender ideology on children. Linn-Mar, IA, schools were sued in early August over a policy that facilitates students’ social “gender transitions” in school without parental knowledge. On August 18th, a federal court threw out parents’ lawsuit against a similar policy in Montgomery, MD. On August 8th, the Wauwatosa, WI, school board proposed a curriculum teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to young elementary school students. On August 25th, the Superior, WI, school board affirmed a curriculum for 5th graders.
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