Public Policy


	Edward T. Mechmann, Esq., Coordinator
	212.371.1011 x2807 edward.mechmann@archny.org

	Cardinal's Letter on Abortion Bill Action Alerts Sign Up for the Catholic Advocacy Network Election-time Voter Education Materials Resources for Advocacy Links to other Public Policy Advocates Prayer Resources Our office works to influence legislation on the national and state levels in order to promote the cause of human life and family life. Our mission is to transform our society in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have mobilized the faithful for lobbying trips, letter-writing and email-writing campaigns, rallies and other activities to influence our government to defend the unborn and vulnerable. Information is regularly sent to parish activists to encourage them to take action on urgent issues. Staff members have given talks to numerous religious and secular groups in an effort to promote the Gospel of Life, and the Church's teachings on sexuality and the family. We coordinate all our efforts with the New York State Catholic Conference to implement the Bishops' legislative advocacy strategies. In particular, we rely on the Conference's Catholic Advocacy Network, which organizes and mobilizes grassroots e-mail advocacy in support of the positions of the Church on public policy matters. We also cooperate with legislative initiatives from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Secretariat, and the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment. Cardinal's Letter on Abortion Bill Cardinal Egan has issued a letter regarding the extreme abortion bill pending in our State Legislature (more information below), which he has asked to be read at all Masses and/or printed in every parish bulletin. You can download a copy of the letter in English and Spanish. The bishops of New York State have also issued a joint statement on the bill, which can be downloaded here. Action Alerts Oppose the Extremist Abortion Bill On April 25, 2007, Governor Eliot Spitzer introduced a bill (Program Bill #16, S.5829) called the “Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act.” This extremist bill would: Establish a “fundamental right of privacy” within New York State law, Ensure that abortion is legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy, Permit non-doctors (like optometrists and podiatrists) to perform abortions, Make abortion virtually immune from any regulation or restriction, Allow post-viability abortions to be performed on an out-patient basis in clinics that go virtually unregulated by public health authorities, endangering both women and unborn children, and Endanger conscience protections under current law, which could force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions, and could even force Catholic schools and charitable agencies to promote or refer for abortions and contraception. Here is a Fact Sheet with more detailed information about this bill (also available here in Spanish). Here is the New York State Catholic Conference's position paper on the bill. You can also download some flyers here. (Spanish translations are available here.) Check out the Catholic Conference's short video on the bill on YouTube, and pass the link along to your friends! Please write to your State Senator and Assembly representative and oppose the Governor's abortion bill. You can do so by email by going to the New York State Catholic Conference Catholic Advocacy Network website, finding your own legislators and clicking on their email address to send them a message. Here's a sample letter you can print out, or you can cut and paste it into an email: I am writing to oppose the "Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act" (S.5829), which would establish a virtually unlimited right to abortion here in New York State. This radical bill would give New York the most liberal abortion laws in the United States. This bill could: Eliminate conscience protection in current state law for religious institutions and force religious hospitals to permit abortions; permit non-physicians – like a podiatrist, dentist or even a social worker – to perform abortions prior to viability; make abortion virtually immune from any state regulation, such as parental notification requirements; and allow late-term abortions to be performed in clinics that do not offer the full complement of support facilities necessary to assist women and any child born alive during an abortion. This is an extreme bill that is out of touch with the attitudes of most New Yorkers, who favor common-sense limitations on abortion. Please do whatever you can to oppose this bill. This bill is bad for women, children, and our society. Defend Marriage in New York State On April 27, 2007, Governor Spitzer proposed a bill that would legalize same-sex "marriage" in New York State. This bill has been introduced in both the Assembly (A.8590 (O'Donnell)) and the Senate (S.5884 (Rules)), and has already been passed by the Assembly (see below). His Eminence, Cardinal Egan, has issued a statement calling upon the Legislature to reject this bill. Also, please download our most recent fact sheet, "Why Should We Oppose Efforts to Redefine Marriage?". Please write to your State Senator and Assembly representative and express your opposition to this bill. You can do so by email by going to the New York State Catholic Conference Catholic Advocacy Network website, finding your own legislators and clicking on their email address to send them a message. Here's a sample letter you can print out, or you can cut and paste it into an email: I am writing to oppose the bill that would legalize same-sex "marriage" in New York (S.5884 (Rules)/A.8590 (O'Donnell)). Recognizing such relationships as the equivalent of real marriages would be gravely harmful to the common good of our society. Marriage is the communion of spouses founded on the complementary nature of men and women; it is directed to creating intimacy between the spouses, to sexual (as opposed to asexual) reproduction of children, and to ensuring the growth and development of children in a stable family. A well-ordered society protects, promotes, and encourages marriage as an institution that fulfills the spouses themselves, and protects the children who come as its fruit. In contrast, same-sex “marriage” would: send the wrong cultural and legal message that moms and dads don’t matter; eliminate in law and weaken in culture the ideal that children should be conceived, born, and raised by their married, natural parents; eliminate the public meaning and purpose of marriage by redefining it merely as a private relationship of consenting adults; severely limit religious freedom by forcing religious institutions to recognize the validity of these relationships; and represent the first step toward the recognition of relationships with more than one partner (polygamy and polyandry). This bill is bad for society and for children. For more information about this issue, check out the position paper of the New York State Catholic Conference and the recent statement by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the Federal Marriage Amendment. Also important to consult is the document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on same-sex unions, which contains important considerations on the moral responsibilities of Catholic citizens and public officials. There are also other valuable documents on the USCCB website, including the statement "Between Man and Woman". It would also be worthwhile to review the theological foundations for this issue, which are set out in the document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "Family, Marriage and De Facto Unions". UPDATE: On June 19, 2007, the Assembly suddenly moved the bill to the floor and passed it by a vote of 85 to 61. To act in this way on a bill of such grave importance -- passing it without holding any public hearings or soliciting the input of the public in any way -- the Assembly behaved irresponsibly and shamefully. The Assembly members from the Archdiocese voted as follows: For "same-sex marriage" -- Arroyo, Benedetto, Bing, Bradley, Brodsky, Cahill, Cusick, Luis Diaz, Dinowitz, Espaillat, Farrell, Friedman, Glick, Gottfried, Grannis, Gunther, Hyer-Spencer, Jaffee, Kavanaugh, Kellner, Latimer, LaVelle, Miller, O’Donnell, Paulin, Powell, Pretlow, Jose Rivera, Naomi Rivera, Peter Rivera, Rosenthal, Silver, Spano, Titone, Wright Against "same-sex marriage" -- Ball, Calhoun, Crouch, Ruben Diaz Jr., Galef, Greene, Heastie, Hooker, Kirwan, Peter Lopez, Molinaro, Rabbitt Stem Cell Research and Cloning There have been several recent announcements regarding new scientific techniques that may eliminate the need for destructive research on human embryos or cloning. For more information, check out the following articles by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and by Fr. Thomas Berg of the Westchester Institute. To help us address the grave threat of human cloning and embryonic stem cell research, we would also like to offer you the following resources for download: Tool Kit for Advocacy on Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Cloning, developed by the New York State Catholic Conference; Questions and Answers about Stem Cell Research and Cloning, in both English and Spanish, prepared by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Secretariat; A list of current clinical uses of adult stem cells to help human patients, also from USCCB; A flyer and background information from Fr. Thomas Berg, who is available to speak to parish, school and community groups about these issues. top Sign up for the Catholic Advocacy Network! On the weekend of November 3 and 4, 2007, Cardinal Egan is asking all our parishes to conduct a sign-up campaign to get their parishioners to join the Catholic Advocacy Network. To help parishes in this project, we have prepared the following materials: Instructions on how to conduct the sign-up weekend. A two-page flyer about the Network, with a tear-off sign-up sheet. The same flyer in Spanish. A bulletin insert about the Network, to be used in advance of the sign-up weekend. Bulletin/Pulpit announcements in English and Spanish top Election-time Voter Education Materials The documents and information below are good foundational tools for educating Catholics on their civic and moral responsibilities in regard to voting. Please remember that all voter education must be non-partisan; if you use these documents, they must be distributed completely separately from any voter guides. In their newly-issued document for the 2008 elections, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the Bishops of the United States offer the following guidance on making a morally responsible voting decision: 34. Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter's intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity. 35. There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil. 36. When all candidates hold a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, the conscientious voter faces a dilemma. The voter may decide to take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate or, after careful deliberation, may decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other authentic human goods. 37. In making these decisions, it is essential for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight and that the moral obligation to oppose intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences and our actions. These decisions should take into account a candidate’s commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given issue. In the end, this is a decision to be made by each Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching. 38. It is important to be clear that the political choices faced by citizens not only have an impact on general peace and prosperity but also may affect the individual’s salvation. Similarly, the kinds of laws and policies supported by public officials affect their spiritual well-being... In his address to members of the European Parliament (March 2006), Pope Benedict XVI laid out the public policy priorities for the Church: As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable. Among these the following emerge clearly today: - protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death; - recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family--as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage--and its defense from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role; - the protection of the right of parents to educate their children. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has also given guidance to Catholics in making morally sound decisions on public policy matters: Doctrinal Note on Catholics in Public Life The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has also provided similar guidance: Living the Gospel of Life Catholics in Political Life From the New York State Catholic Conference Pastors, Parishes and Political Responsibility (important guidelines about permissible activities by parishes during an election season) top Resources for Advocacy We have developed a flyer with resources for Catholics on political responsibility -- forming our consciences in order to advocate in the public square for the Gospel of Life. We also have articles from the 2005-2006 Respect Life Packet on Abortion and the Law (also in Spanish), and Political Responsibility (also in Spanish). Here are some links to other resources: Vatican Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Public Life United States Bishops Statement on Catholics in Political Life Join the Catholic Advocacy Network Our legislative agenda here in New York State Action alerts on our legislative priorities Status report on pending legislation Voting records of our Federal representatives on current bills Voting records of our Federal representatives on past bills Local district offices of our representatives Find your federal and state elected representatives New York State Board of Elections Register to Vote top Links to Other Public Policy Advocates The following are some links to other sites of interest: National Committee for a Human Life Amendment United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Secretariat National Catholic Bioethics Center Susan B. Anthony List Morality in Media National Right to Life Committee Do No Harm: the Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics Americans to Ban Cloning Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values top Prayer Resources Prayer is one of the essential tasks in promoting respect for human life and family life. In particular, it is necessary that we pray for the conversion of heart among public officials who support abortion and other offenses against the dignity of human life. In 2004, Bishop Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington, Delaware, composed a beautiful Litany of St. Thomas More, for politicians who take public anti-life positions. Please pray this litany often, and offer fasting and sacrifices for our public officials: V. Lord, have mercy R. Lord have mercy V. Christ, have mercy R. Christ have mercy V. Lord, have mercy R. Lord have mercy V. Christ hear us R. Christ, graciously hear us V. St. Thomas More, Saint and Martyr, R. Pray for us (repeat after each invocation) V. St. Thomas More, Patron of Statesmen, Politicians and Lawyers, V. St. Thomas More, Patron of Justices, Judges and Magistrates, V. St. Thomas More, Model of Integrity and Virtue in Public and Private Life, V. St. Thomas More, Servant of the Word of God and the Body and Blood of Christ, V. St. Thomas More, Model of Holiness in the Sacrament of Marriage, V. St. Thomas More, Teacher of His Children in the Catholic Faith, V. St. Thomas More, Defender of the Weak and the Poor, V. St. Thomas More, Promoter of Human Life and Dignity, Let us pray: O Glorious St. Thomas More, patron of statesmen, politicians, judges and lawyers, your life of prayer and penance, and your zeal for justice, integrity and firm principle in public and family life led you to the path of martyrdom and sainthood. Intercede for our statesmen, politicians, judges and lawyers, that they may be courageous and effective in their defense and promotion of the sanctity of human life -- the foundation of all other human rights. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. V. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world R. Spare us O Lord V. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world R. Graciously hear us O Lord V. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world R. Have mercy on us Click here to download a copy (in Adobe pdf format) of the Litany, issued by the Diocese of Wilmington. An html version can be found here. Click here for some general information on pro-life Prayer and Worship. top