1. Schumer’s Radical Abortion Bill, The Women’s Health Protection Act makes the new Democratic policy: Safe, legal and don’t tell your parents., By The Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2022, Pg. A20, Editorial Protesters marched on the homes of conservative Supreme Court Justices over the weekend, an ugly attempt to scare them into saving Roe v. Wade. This week the drama moves to the Senate, where Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer plans a vote on a sweeping bill to override state laws and set a national abortion policy. House Democrats passed the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) last year, but it stalled in the Senate. It’s expected to fail again this week. But that isn’t stopping Mr. Schumer, who is refusing to take up a bill by GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who have their own proposal to codify Roe v. Wade. “I have long supported a woman’s right to choose,” Ms. Murkowski said, “but my position is not without limits, and this partisan Women’s Health Protection Act simply goes too far.” … The legislation also exempts itself from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which is why Ms. Collins says it would undercut “basic conscience protections” for religious healthcare providers. In its findings, the bill says abortion access “has been obstructed” by state “parental involvement laws (notification and consent).” … As for Democratic calls to kill the Senate filibuster, do they really want abortion policy in 50 states to flip-flop depending on who wins the next Senate race in Georgia or Wisconsin? The wise move is to table the WHPA. Then Democrats can fight it out in the states, the constitutional way, for the abortion policy they want. https://www.wsj.com/articles/chuck-schumers-radical-abortion-bill-senate-democrats-roe-v-wade-womens-health-protection-act-11652133702?___________________________________________________________ 2. Democrats: When Do You Think Life Begins?, Politicians dodge the question, but the scientific answer is clear: At the moment of conception., By Rick Scott, The Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2022, Pg. A21, Opinion I have a simple question for Democrats: When do you believe life begins? The Republican position on abortion is based on a fundamental belief that life begins at conception. It’s a conclusion grounded in faith and values, but also in science. We know that unborn babies can feel pain very early. We know that after six weeks a baby’s heartbeat can be heard in the womb. Modern sonograms show unborn babies smiling, yawning and sucking their thumbs. Put simply, science has revealed that an unborn baby is a human being, and voters agree. According to recent polling conducted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, 73% of voters agree that an unborn baby is a human being. So that raises the question: When do Democrats believe life begins? At conception? At viability? At birth? After birth? They won’t say. Even more disconcerting, reporters won’t ask them. It’s a dereliction of duty by the mainstream media not to push the question, and it’s an abdication of their responsibility to inform the American people and spur legitimate debate. … Meanwhile, Republicans are happy to answer the question of when life begins: We believe life begins at conception because we believe in science and place value in every life, born and unborn. Once Democrats have an answer, we can have a legitimate debate on the issue. Mr. Scott, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Florida. https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-when-do-you-think-life-begins-abortion-heartbeat-unborn-dobbs-supreme-court-decision-leak-rick-scott-roe-v-wade-pro-life-choice-11652124751?___________________________________________________________ 3. New York State Aims to Create Fund to Pay for Abortion Access, By Deanna Paul and Jimmy Vielkind, The Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2022, Pg. A4 New York Attorney General Letitia James and state lawmakers on Monday called for the creation of a state fund to pay for abortion access for both New Yorkers and out-of-state residents who could travel to the state for the procedure. Ms. James, a Democrat, said the state should continue to be a leader in providing abortion access if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to an abortion. https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-attorney-general-pushes-for-state-abortion-fund-11652120347?___________________________________________________________ 4. The Supreme Court’s Chance to Transcend Roe’s Outdated Science on Fetal Development, By Grazie Pozo Christie, National Review, May 10, 2022, 6:30 AM, Opinion The unthinkable has happened: an unprecedented leak from the depths of the Supreme Court. The public reaction has been fierce and unbridled over Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion, especially on the pro-abortion left. But the reality is that if Roe falls, the sky will remain safely overhead. What will happen is that, from state to state, citizens and their elected officials, participating in the democratic process, will be allowed to pass laws that make sense to them. No longer inhibited by a decades-old decision from seven Supreme Court justices, our nation’s political bodies will be able to write and enact laws that reflect modern science and current American sensibilities about unborn children. So much has changed since 1973, when pro-abortion arguments focused on the inability to pin down exactly when life begins and when abortion defenders confidently held that fetuses in the later stages of gestation could not feel the pain of dismemberment. As explained in a friend-of-the-court brief I submitted alongside two other female physicians, scientific advancements since Roe have put an end to uncertainties about such questions. … Indeed, if Roe falls, the sky will still be overhead where it belongs. The difference will be that for the first time in 49 years, decision-making power on this issue will reside in the states, so state regulations can reflect what the public’s moral sense dictates today, in 2022. Not every state would extend its protection to these vulnerable members of the human race, but at least every state will have the opportunity to address these weighty issues and come to a consensus. And we can hope that the endearing and now quite visible humanity of the unborn will make a strong claim on the hearts and sympathies of the American people. https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/05/the-supreme-courts-chance-to-transcend-roes-outdated-science-on-fetal-development/___________________________________________________________ 5. Minister: Pope postpones visit to Lebanon for health reasons, By Associated Press, May 9, 2022, 11:45 AM Pope Francis has postpone a planned visit to Lebanon next month due to health reasons, a Lebanese Cabinet minister said Monday. Minister of Tourism Walid Nassar did not specify the ailment, but the pope is known to be suffering acute knee pain that has greatly curtailed his mobility in recent months. He has recently appeared in public using a wheelchair. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-may-postpone-visit-to-lebanon-due-to-knee-problem/2022/05/09/b24726ba-cfa3-11ec-886b-df76183d233f_story.html___________________________________________________________ 6. EU financial watchdog upgrades Vatican status to ‘regular’, By The Pillar, May 9, 2022 The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering inspectorate has ended more than a decade of special measures and inspections over Vatican institutions, upgrading the Holy See to the watchdog’s ordinary process of assessments and evaluation. The move comes after Moneyval offered a broadly positive assessment of financial security progress made at the Vatican over the last 12 years. But the Moneyval annual report also flagged concerns about staffing and funding for financial security operations, which it said delays Vatican money laundering investigations. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/eu-financial-watchdog-upgrades-vatican?___________________________________________________________ 7. Update on unrest: Tabernacle stolen, Catholic church defaced, pregnancy clinic vandalized, By Joe Bukuras, Shannon Mullen, Catholic News Agency, May 9, 2022, 4:30 PM More criminal acts targeting Catholic churches and pro-life advocates were reported Monday, after a Mother’s Day weekend marked by unrest in multiple locations in the U.S. tied to anger over a possible Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. In one of the latest incidents, the pastor a Catholic church in Katy, Texas, reported on May 9 that its tabernacle had been stolen from the church overnight. It was not known whether the theft had any connection to a pro-abortion group’s recent threats to disrupt Catholic Masses on Sunday and burn the Eucharist. … In another incident, a Catholic church in northern Colorado known for its active pro-life ministry was vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti over the weekend. … In addition, Twitter user Rev. Dean Nelson tweeted May 9 that a pro-life Northern Virginia pregnancy resource center was vandalized overnight. CNA confirmed that the clinic is First Care Women’s Health clinic in Manassas, Virginia. A photo shows black spray paint written on the side of the building saying, “ABORTION IS A RIGHT,” and “LIARS.” … Another incident Sunday involved a heated confrontation between a security guard and protesters outside St. James Cathedral in Seattle, captured in a video posted online by The Post Millennial. … In one of the previously reported incidents, the office of a pro-life organization in Madison, Wisconsin, was set on fire Sunday morning after at least one Molotov cocktail was thrown at the building. The fire was quickly put out by the Madison Fire Department. No one was hurt, police said. Graffiti left on the building’s exterior said, “If abortions aren’t safe than you aren’t either.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251185/tabernacle-stolen-catholic-church-defaced-pregnancy-clinic-vandalized___________________________________________________________

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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