1. ‘Justice system is working,’ archbishop says about toppled statue case, By Catholic News Service, February 23, 2021
 
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco said the “justice system is working” is a statement issued late Feb. 19 following the arraignment of five people on charges of felony vandalism for toppling a St. Junipero Serra statue outside a Catholic church Oct. 12, 2020.
 
This matter “will soon rest in the hands of a judge or jury,” the archbishop said.
 
The attack came on the federal holiday of Columbus Day, which is known as Indigenous People’s Day in California and elsewhere.
 
..
 
The activists are being called the #IndigenousPeoples5, or the “IP 5,” by their supporters, who are demanding Marin County drop all charges against the five indigenous women.
 
“If a crime caught on videotape and witnessed by the police were not to have been prosecuted, it would have sent a profoundly disturbing message to the hundreds of thousands of people of faith in Marin County: Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are at the mercy of small mobs,” Cordileone said in his statement.
 
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2021/02/justice-system-is-working-archbishop-says-about-toppled-statue-case/
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2. Supreme Court will hear case on federal funding of pro-abortion groups, By Catholic News Agency, February 22, 2021, 10:00 AM
 
The Supreme Court will consider a case involving federal funding of domestic pro-abortion groups.
 
The court on Monday morning granted petition to review a case about the Trump administration’s Protect Life Rule. The Baltimore mayor and city council challenged the rule, supported by a number of states and pro-abortion groups.
 
According to SCOTUSBlog, the case will be argued in the fall of 2021.
 
The 2019 rule of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prohibited grant recipients in the federal Title X family planning program from referring for abortions, or being co-located with abortion facilities. The rule was meant to implement the program’s original stated purpose that funds would not be used for abortion as a method of family planning.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/supreme-court-will-hear-case-on-federal-funding-of-pro-abortion-groups-12936
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3. Scholar’s critique of transgender movement reportedly de-listed by Amazon, By Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency, February 22, 2021, 1:00 PM
 
One scholar’s critical book on the transgender movement has reportedly been removed from Amazon.com.
 
On Sunday afternoon, Ryan Anderson—the current president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC)—reported that his book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment was no longer listed for purchase on the online retail giant Amazon.com. The book was released three years ago, on Feb. 20, 2018.
 

 
When Harry Became Sally is Anderson’s critical look into the transgender movement, exploring the biological, psychological, and philosophical areas of the transgender debate. He has been outspoken on topics such as the concept of gender fluidity, purported psychological benefits of gender-transition surgery for those with gender dysphoria, and the implications of “transgender mandates”—that public spaces such as single-sex bathrooms and locker rooms be available to people based on their gender identity.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/scholars-critique-of-transgender-movement-reportedly-de-listed-by-amazon-21955
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4. Virginia lawmakers vote to abolish the death penalty, By Denise Lavoie and Sarah Rankin, Associated Press, February 22, 2021, 12:43 PM
 
State lawmakers gave final approval Monday to legislation that will end capital punishment in Virginia, a dramatic turnaround for a state that has executed more people in its long history than any other.
 
The legislation repealing the death penalty now heads to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who has said he will sign it into law, making Virginia the 23rd state to stop executions.
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/repeal-of-virginias-death-penalty-headed-to-governors-desk/2021/02/22/72fb207a-7535-11eb-9489-8f7dacd51e75_story.html
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5. Biden’s HHS nominee supported assisted suicide in California, By Christine Rousselle, Catholic News Agency, February 22, 2021, 6:00 PM
 
President Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) received the praise of pro-euthanasia organizations during his time as attorney general of California.
 
Xavier Becerra, who has served as California’s attorney general since 2017, was praised by pro-euthanasia groups as he fought in court to preserve the state’s assisted suicide law, the End of Life Option Act.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/bidens-hhs-nominee-supported-assisted-suicide-in-california-11261
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6. Arkansas Senate approves bill banning nearly all abortions, By Andrew Demillo, Associated Press, February 22, 2021, 7:23 PM
 
The Arkansas Senate on Monday approved a measure banning nearly all abortions in the state, despite objections to the ban not including exceptions for rape or incest.
 
The majority-Republican Senate approved the ban on a 27-7 vote, sending the measure to the majority-GOP House. Arkansas is one of 13 states where outright abortion bans have been proposed this year, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/arkansas-senate-approves-bill-banning-nearly-all-abortions/2021/02/22/4c7d9332-756d-11eb-9489-8f7dacd51e75_story.html
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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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