1. White House: Biden will reverse the Mexico City Policy, By Catholic News Agency, January 28, 2021, 6:43 AM
President Joe Biden announced Thursday morning that he will be reversing the Mexico City Policy.
The policy prohibits U.S. funding of foreign NGOs that perform or promote abortions as a method of family planning. The White House announced that Biden would be issuing a Presidential Memorandum later on Thursday that “immediately rescinds the global gag rule, also referred to as the Mexico City Policy.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/white-house-biden-will-reverse-the-mexico-city-policy-87518
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2. Virginia Is On The Verge Of Abolishing The Death Penalty. Other States Should Follow Suit, By The Washington Post, January 28, 2021, Pg. A20, Editorial
THE COMMONWEALTH of Virginia has carried out more executions in its history than any other state. Now, a bill to end capital punishment in Virginia is making its way through the state legislature and toward the governor’s desk.
The prospects for passage are good: Though the measure is being championed by Democrats, who hold slim majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, it has attracted bipartisan support. Should a parallel measure pass the House, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) will sign the legislation into law, making Virginia the 23rd state to abolish the death penalty.
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Other states should follow Virginia in leaving behind the gruesome practice. If Virginia can shift so quickly in renouncing an unworthy tradition, let us hope it can happen anywhere.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/virginia-is-on-the-verge-of-abolishing-the-death-penalty-other-states-should-follow-suit/2021/01/27/528b726e-6017-11eb-9430-e7c77b5b0297_story.html
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3. Poll: Most Americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortion, By Kate Scanlon, Catholic News Agency, January 27, 2021, 2:20 PM
Most Americans oppose the use of tax dollars to fund abortions in the United States or overseas, according to a Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll released on Wednesday.
“Amidst the harsh political divides in our country, clear bipartisan majorities support abortion restrictions and do not want their tax dollars paying for abortion abroad,” said Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, in a statement on Wednesday.
“Our polling has shown consistently over the past decade that policies that promote abortion-on-demand paid for by taxpayers are divisive and out of step with American public opinion,” Anderson added.
According to the new poll, the vast majority of respondents (77%) said they either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” using tax dollars to pay for abortion procedures around the world. Only 19% of respondents supported public funding of abortions overseas.
Additionally, most Americans favor significant abortion restrictions, according to the poll. More than three-quarters of respondents (76%) either wanted abortion banned or limited to the first three months of pregnancy—at most.
Meanwhile, a smaller majority (58%) of respondents opposed taxpayer-funded abortion in the U.S.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/poll-most-americans-oppose-taxpayer-funded-abortion-64635
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4. Poland: Near-total abortion ban takes effect amid protests, By Vanessa Gera, Associated Press, January 28, 2021, 5:00 AM
A near-total ban on abortion has taken effect in Poland and triggered a new round of nationwide protests three months after a top court ruled that the abortion of congenitally damaged fetuses is unconstitutional.
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The only remaining legal justifications for abortion under Polish law are if the woman’s life or health is at risk or if a pregnancy results from a crime like rape or incest.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/polish-ombudsman-abortion-ruling-condemns-women-to-torture/2021/01/28/a6fd2e58-614f-11eb-a177-7765f29a9524_story.html
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5. S. Carolina Senate OKs initial vote to ban most abortions, By Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press, January 27, 2021, 3:53 PM
Opponents of abortion joined with some of South Carolina’s most powerful Republican politicians to mark what they think may be the end of a long fight to pass a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state.
Less than four hours after the governor, House Speaker and Senate Majority leader gathered Wednesday with leaders of organizations fighting abortion, the Senate voted 29-17 on a bill they have sought for years.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/s-carolina-senate-oks-initial-vote-to-ban-most-abortions/2021/01/27/ad1ded22-60e1-11eb-a177-7765f29a9524_story.html
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6. Vatican cardinal criticizes German theologians’ ecumenical statement, By Catholic News Agency, January 27, 2021, 7:17 AM
A Vatican cardinal has expressed “astonishment” at a statement by a group of Protestant and Catholic theologians in Germany.
Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, made the comment in response to a declaration by the Ecumenical Study Group of Protestant and Catholic Theologians (known by its German acronym, ÖAK).
The ÖAK published the 26-page statement on Jan. 24 in response to a critical assessment of the group’s proposal for a “reciprocal Eucharistic hospitality” between Catholics and Protestants by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
Koch told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, that he was surprised by the tone and choice of words in the statement, as well as its content and timing.
The Swiss cardinal also questioned whether the statement’s authors were sincere in their call for further discussions with Rome.
“After more than 20 pages have been devoted to showing that in fact none of the requests made by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about the ÖAK’s document are justified, one wonders how seriously the willingness expressed at the end by the authors of the statement to engage in further discussions is really meant,” he said.
The CDF raised concerns last September about a 2019 document prepared by the ÖAK entitled “Together at the Lord’s Table,” which envisaged a “Eucharistic meal fellowship” between Catholics and Protestants.
In a letter to Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops’ conference, the CDF said that the proposal did not do justice to the Catholic understanding of the Church, the Eucharist, and Holy Orders.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-cardinal-criticizes-german-theologians-ecumenical-statement-91785
___________________________________________________________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. |
