1. Janet Yellen on Abortion and the Economy, By The Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2022, Pg. A16, Editorial Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited the Senate on Tuesday to answer questions about risks to financial stability such as inflation, rising interest rates and volatile asset prices. But Democrats were more interested in her views on the risk that the Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade. The exchange wasn’t helpful to their cause. “What impact will the loss of abortion access mean economically for women?” New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez asked Ms. Yellen. She replied with a reductionist economic argument: “I believe eliminating the right of women to make decisions about when and whether to have children would have very damaging effects on the economy and would set women back by decades.” … South Carolina Republican Tim Scott rejoined: “Did you say that ending the life of a child is good for the labor force participation rate?” Ms. Yellen demurred but warned that restricting abortion would limit women’s ability to “plan lives that are fulfilling and satisfying” and lead to more unwanted children especially by black women, “who will grow up in poverty and do worse themselves.” Putting the difficult moral choice of abortion in such utilitarian terms won’t win over many converts. But even on those narrow terms, Ms. Yellen ignores some economic facts. The link between abortion access and women’s labor force participation is more tenuous than she suggests. … More fundamental, Ms. Yellen overlooks the lost productive contribution of children who were never born. … Abortion is a fraught moral issue, which is why it ought to be settled democratically, rather than by judicial fiat. But its consequences can’t be measured by lifetime earnings or the labor participation rate. https://www.wsj.com/articles/janet-yellen-on-abortion-and-the-economy-tim-scott-senate-roe-v-wade-labor-force-participation-11652300307?___________________________________________________________ 2. Meet the women working to overturn Roe v. Wade and restrict abortions across America, The reality is that women are spearheading the reversal of Roe v. Wade and championing abortion restrictions in the states, By Daniel Darling, USA Today, May 12, 2022, 4:00 AM, Opinion But beyond shifting public attitudes is the reality that women are spearheading the reversal of Roe v. Wade and championing abortion restrictions in the states. … Today, women lead every major organization working to overturn Roe. Nellie Gray was succeeded at March for Life by President Jeanie Mancini. The Susan B. Anthony List, whose mission is to elect politicians and enact laws that promote life, was founded in 1992 by a formerly pro-choice Republican who converted to Catholicism, Marjorie Dannenfelser. Catherine Glenn Foster leads Americans United for Life, which helps craft state-level  legislation. Kristan Hawkins heads up Students for Life of America, which trains and mobilizes college students. Carol Tobias leads America’s oldest pro-life organization, The National Right to Life Committee, which boasts chapters in every state. And the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, has two women leading its work to promote life. … If Alito’s draft opinion is indeed reflective of the Supreme Court’s final decision and if Roe v. Wade is overturned, it largely will be because of the efforts of women, including Mississippi’s first female attorney general, Lynn Fitch. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2022/05/12/ending-abortion-these-women-leading-charge/9715683002/___________________________________________________________ 3. How to protect both mothers and their babies, Being pro-life also means helping low-income moms, By Senator Marco Rubio, The Washington Times, May 12, 2022, Pg. B1 Pro-life Americans are excited the Supreme Court may be on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade, and justifiably so. Over the last five decades, 63 million babies were never given a chance to pursue the American Dream. The murder of the unborn is a national tragedy, and I will never shy away from defending their right to life. However, being pro-life has always meant more than being against abortion. Being truly pro-life requires an understanding of the pain and struggle, arising from serious difficulties and responsibilities motherhood entails, which lead a woman to abort her baby. As we take steps to protect the unborn, we have a duty to address those challenges. As with every issue, there is no silver bullet here. Nevertheless, the government can and should do more to support mothers and their babies. At the very least, we need to dramatically expand the child tax credit for working families and allow new parents to pull some of their Social Security savings forward to finance time off of work. That alone will not be enough, though. Expectant mothers — especially those who are surprised by, and unprepared for, pregnancy — require additional support in the form of mentorship, counseling, medical care and more. … The issue of abortion inflames political passions on both sides. One side asserts the rights of women and ignores the rights of the unborn child. My side believes we must do everything we can to give every human a chance at life. That’s why I will soon introduce the Providing for Life Act, sweeping legislation that will touch on the issues in this article and many more — because being pro-life means protecting babies and their mothers. Marco Rubio is a U.S. senator representing the state of Florida. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/may/11/how-to-protect-both-mothers-and-their-babies/___________________________________________________________ 4. Cardinal Zen and the Art of Chinese Oppression, Hong Kong arrests a 90-year-old Catholic prelate as a national security threat., By The Wall Street Journal, May 11, 2022, 6:22 PM, Editorial China has already crushed political dissent, a free press and an independent judiciary in Hong Kong, and its latest target is religious liberty. That’s the message with the arrest Wednesday of Cardinal Joseph Zen. … There’s no doubt the main political target is Cardinal Zen, an outspoken critic of China’s religious persecution. He has criticized the Vatican for its 2018 agreement with Beijing that requires that bishops be acceptable to the atheist Communist leadership, among other concessions. Cardinal Zen called the secret pact “selling out the Catholic Church in China.” … “The Holy See has learned with concern the news of the arrest of Cardinal Zen and is following the development of the situation with extreme attention,” the Vatican said in a statement Wednesday. That weak response does no credit to the Catholic Church or Pope Francis, who should renounce the Vatican’s Faustian pact with Beijing. https://www.wsj.com/articles/cardinal-joseph-zen-and-the-art-of-chinese-oppression-hong-kong-beijing-arrest-11652304547?___________________________________________________________ 5. Why is China afraid of a 90-year-old Catholic bishop?, By Mark Simon, The Washington Post, May 11, 2022, 6:19 PM Why is China afraid of a 90-year-old Catholic bishop? On Wednesday, Beijing directed Hong Kong’s National Security Department to arrest Cardinal Joseph Zen, the city’s Catholic bishop emeritus. The pretext was that he had violated Hong Kong’s national security law in colluding with foreign forces — by serving as a trustee of a humanitarian relief fund. Arrested along with Zen, who turned 90 in January, were four other trustees…These five were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, established in 2019 to assist with the legal and financial needs of those arrested in pro-democracy demonstrations. After delivering nearly $32 million in assistance, the fund was shut down in October under pressure from the National Security Department. By any rational measure, the threat — if the government considers food assistance and legal fees a threat — ended with the closure of the fund. Which points to the very simple answer as to why Cardinal Zen was arrested: He is a threat to the Chinese Communist regime. Still powerful as a force of resistance in the Hong Kong Catholic Church, Zen was the last inspiring symbol of Hong Kong’s democratic movement untouched by the Chinese security apparatus. Part of what makes Zen so dangerous to the regime is his moral clarity, his courage and the power of his witness. Born in Shanghai, Zen has never had any illusions about the Chinese Communist Party. From championing the cause of Catholic clergy oppressed in China, to fighting to keep the Hong Kong government out of Catholic schools, to doing his damnedest to get Pope Francis and the Vatican to pull back from their failed China engagement strategy, Zen has always shined a light on those who would sweep the Catholic Church and the people of Hong Kong away to forgotten corners. Other than the Dalai Lama, there is no individual more despised by the State Security officials who oversee religious affairs in China than Zen. … We who desire democracy for Hong Kong are often asked if we will stand for others, as one day the regime might come for us. In Hong Kong, thousands who have answered that question face arrest and jail. Cardinal Zen has never flinched from standing up for others. Now it is up to the rest of us to stand up for him. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/05/11/cardinal-zen-hong-kong-arrest-china/___________________________________________________________ 6. Senate bid to save Roe v. Wade falls to GOP-led filibuster, By Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press, May 11, 2022 The Senate fell far short Wednesday in a rushed effort toward enshrining Roe v. Wade abortion access as federal law, blocked by a Republican filibuster in a blunt display of the nation’s partisan divide over the landmark court decision and the limits of legislative action. The almost party-line tally promises to be just the first of several efforts in Congress to preserve the nearly 50-year-old court ruling, which declares a constitutional right to abortion services but is at serious risk of being overturned this summer by a conservative Supreme Court. … The vote was 51-49 against proceeding, with 60 votes needed to move ahead. … One conservative Democrat, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, voted with the Republicans, saying he supported keeping Roe v. Wade but believed the current bill was too broad. https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-filibusters-congress-759beeba80ac56aa95271711a8e915da___________________________________________________________ 7. Vatican expresses ‘concern’ after Hong Kong cardinal arrested, By Inés San Martín, Crux, May 11, 2022 Following the news of the arrest of Hong Kong’s retired cardinal, the Vatican’s spokesman said the Holy See is following the situation “with extreme attention.” Hong Kong’s national security police detained Cardinal Joseph Zen, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, along with former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, singer Denise Ho Wan-sze, and scholar Hui Po-keung, the UK-based human rights group Hong Kong Watch said on Wednesday. Soon after the news broke, Matteo Bruni, spokesman for the Vatican, said that “the Holy See has learned with concern the news of Cardinal Zen’s arrest and is following the development of the situation with extreme attention.” https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/2022/05/vatican-expresses-concern-after-hong-kong-cardinal-arrested___________________________________________________________ 8. Wives of Mariupol defenders to pope: ‘You are our last hope’, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, May 11, 2022, 10:40 AM The wives of two Ukrainian soldiers defending the Mariupol steel mill met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and begged him to intervene to arrange for a third-party evacuation of the troops before Russian soldiers capture or kill them. “You are our last hope. We hope you can save their lives. Please don’t let them die,” said a weeping Kateryna Prokopenko as she greeted Francis at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. Standing by her side, Yuliia Fedusiuk, told Francis that food and water were running out in the mill, that some soldiers were injured or dead and that those who are alive were ready to lay down their arms if they could be evacuated to a third country. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/wives-of-mariupol-defenders-to-pope-you-are-our-last-hope/2022/05/11/4b1ab7c2-d138-11ec-886b-df76183d233f_story.html___________________________________________________________ 9. Roe v. Wade: Pro-life leaders react to Chicago mayor’s ‘incendiary’ call to arms, By Katie Yoder, Catholic News Agency, May 10, 2022, 1:42 PM Catholic and pro-life leaders are condemning the Chicago’s mayor’s “call to arms” in response to the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting that justices will overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. “To my friends in the LGBTQ+ community—the Supreme Court is coming for us next. This moment has to be a call to arms,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat in a same-sex marriage, tweeted on Monday. “We will not surrender our rights without a fight—a fight to victory!” Catholic and pro-life leaders expressed concern with Lightfoot’s wording at a time when abortion activists are threatening Supreme Court justices and attacking Catholic churches and pro-life pregnancy centers. “It is seriously concerning to see politicians like Mayor Lightfoot use incendiary language with violent undertones at a time when certain Supreme Court justices need additional security and churches and pregnancy centers are under actual attack by the abortion movement,” Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow with The Catholic Association, told CNA.  She added, “Efforts to intimidate jurists and frighten pro-lifers will not prevail, but they are reckless and must be condemned.”  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251195/roe-v-wade-pro-life-leaders-react-to-chicago-mayors-incendiary-call-to-arms___________________________________________________________

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.
Subscribe to the TCA podcast!
“Conversations with Consequences” is a new audio program from The Catholic Association. We’ll bring you thoughtful dialogue with the leading thinkers of our time on the most consequential issues of our day. Subscribe today or listen online and enjoy our entertaining and informative weekly episodes.