1. Appeals court reinstates Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban, By Dylan Lovan, Associated Press, August 2, 2022 A Kentucky appeals court has reinstated a near-total abortion ban that took effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The ruling means most abortions are illegal in the state, for now. Attorney General Daniel Cameron asked the court for an emergency stay, which blocked a lower court’s ruling. That ruling by a Louisville judge last month put two abortion bans on hold so the courts could determine if they violate Kentucky’s constitution. https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-kentucky-louisville-b75b44423500604fd8b5f22825fb38d0__________________________________________________________ 2. Planned Parenthood’s Politicized Diagnosis, The group’s website used to tell the truth about treatment for ectopic pregnancies., By Erin Morrow Hawley, The Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2022, Pg. A13, Opinion Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, abortion advocates have been insisting that pro-life laws threaten women’s health. Yet Planned Parenthood’s own website has already debunked many of these arguments, explaining that treatments for medical conditions such as ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages aren’t abortions. Then Planned Parenthood changed its website in mid-July, promoting a false narrative that proves many in the abortion industry care more about advancing a political agenda than about women’s health.  Planned Parenthood’s reversal is consistent with other efforts to suppress inconvenient truths by adapting medical terminology to advance political purposes. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, an organization of medical specialists who bring unborn children into the world, has long denied that those children have a right to life. ACOG’s position on abortion is extreme. It is against any legislative restrictions on abortion.  That Planned Parenthood and ACOG are willing to modify medical terms shows they are more committed to their politics than to providing women with accurate medical information or good healthcare. Ms. Morrow Hawley is a senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom and an associate professor of law at Regent University. https://www.wsj.com/articles/planned-parenthoods-politicized-diagnosis-abortion-miscarriage-false-narrative-agenda-unborn-pregnancy-treatments-11659362911?__________________________________________________________3. Nicaragua’s government shutters 6 church radio stations, By Gabriela Selser, Associated Press, August 1, 2022, 11:24 PM Nicaraguan authorities ordered the closure of six radio stations belonging to the Roman Catholic Church on Monday and surrounded one with riot police, church officials said. Rev. Rolando Álvarez, the bishop of the northern province of Matagalpa, said during Mass that the he had received a letter from the tate telecommunications agency Telcor informing him of the closures. Álvarez called the move “an injustice” and urged Telcor’s director to show the legality. The bishop has been one of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s most outspoken critics in the church. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nicaraguas-government-shutters-6-church-radio-stations/2022/08/01/8d3fd18a-1212-11ed-8482-06c1c84ce8f2_story.html___________________________________________________________ 4. Bipartisan compromise bill would restore abortion rights, By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press, August 1, 2022, 7:31 PM A bipartisan group of senators is pushing compromise legislation to restore abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a long shot effort to put a majority of the Senate on the record opposing the decision. While the bill is not expected to pass — and is unlikely to even get a vote — the legislation introduced by two Republicans and two Democrats on Monday is intended to send a signal to state legislatures and the public that a majority of the Senate supports codifying Roe, even if they can’t get the necessary 60 votes to pass it in the 50-50 Senate. “We still think there is utility in showing there is a bipartisan majority that would want to codify Roe,” even though the bill doesn’t have enough votes, said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who introduced the legislation with Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.  The legislation would prohibit most state regulations that prevent abortion access before fetal viability, generally considered to be around 24 weeks. It would allow state restrictions after that point, as long as the mother’s life is protected.  The bipartisan bill is narrower than legislation preferred by most Democrats — passed by the House but blocked by Senate Republicans — that would have protected abortion rights and expanded them beyond what was allowed in the landmark 1972 Roe v. Wade decision. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bipartisan-compromise-bill-would-restore-abortion-rights/2022/08/01/1149d802-11f2-11ed-8482-06c1c84ce8f2_story.html__________________________________________________________ 5. Judge’s order further freezes Michigan abortion ban, By Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press, August 1, 2022, 7:00 PM A judge blocked enforcement of a 1931 Michigan ban on abortion Monday, just hours after the state Court of Appeals said county prosecutors were not covered by a May order and could enforce the prohibition following the fall of Roe v. Wade. Oakland County Judge Jacob Cunningham stepped in at the request of attorneys representing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who favors abortion rights.  In May, weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court threw out its landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion, Judge Elizabeth Gleicher said Michigan’s dormant ban was likely unconstitutional. She signed an injunction, which meant abortion has remained legal even after the Supreme Court decision. But on Monday, the appeals court said Gleicher’s injunction applied only to the attorney general’s office, not county prosecutors who handle most crimes. Republican prosecutors in Kent and Jackson counties said they planned to enforce the abortion ban, meaning that providers could get charged with a felony. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michigan-court-county-prosecutors-can-enforce-abortion-ban/2022/08/01/e455f9de-11bf-11ed-8482-06c1c84ce8f2_story.html__________________________________________________________ 6. Louisiana abortion ban reinstated, clinics halt procedures, By Sara Cline, Associated Press, August 1, 2022, 5:25 PM Staff at Louisiana’s abortion clinics spent Monday calling patients to cancel procedures and direct them to resources in other states as Louisiana’s near total abortion ban is once-again in effect. For weeks, access to abortion in Louisiana has been flickering — with the state’s three clinics relying on rulings and temporary restraining orders, that allowed them to continue operations. But procedures came to a screeching halt Friday afternoon after an appeals court ruled that Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry can enforce the ban while ongoing legal challenges play out in court. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/louisiana-abortion-ban-reinstated-clinics-halt-procedures/2022/08/01/03bbb49a-11d8-11ed-8482-06c1c84ce8f2_story.html__________________________________________________________ 7. Chinese bishop to withhold sacraments over CCPA registration, By The Pillar, August 1, 2022 A diocese in China is threatening to withhold the sacraments from Catholics who refuse to accept the registration of clergy with the Communist Party-controlled Catholic association, according to new reports. Bishop Francis An Shuxin of the Diocese of Baoding issued a pastoral letter July 15 stating that all Catholic clergy are required to register with the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, according to a report from Asia News. Bishop An’s letter reportedly addresses the issue of local Catholics rejecting pastors who have registered with the CPCA, ordering that Catholics who refuse to accept CPCA registration by clergy be denied the sacraments.The bishop added that unregistered clergy of the formerly underground Church will be treated as criminals by the civil authorities, and see their support from Rome withdrawn. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/chinese-bishop-to-withhold-sacraments__________________________________________________________

TCA Media Monitoring provides a snapshot from national newspapers and major Catholic press outlets of coverage regarding significant Catholic Church news and current issues with which the Catholic Church is traditionally or prominently engaged. The opinions and views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of The Catholic Association.
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