1. Abortion Is Focus Of Ballot Measures, By Laura Kusisto and Jennifer Calfas, The Wall Street, November 8, 2022, Pg. A4
The Supreme Court’s elimination of legal protections for abortion has prompted months of speculation about how the ruling would affect the political landscape. Voters will provide some answers in Tuesday’s midterm elections, where the issue is in play across state ballots.
The high court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade empowered voters and politicians to make decisions about abortion policy in ways not seen in 50 years. In a range of states, races for governor, the legislature and the courts could help determine where and to what extent the procedure is available.
Voters in several states also are considering the issue directly through ballot measures. California, Michigan and Vermont have initiatives that propose amending their state constitutions to protect abortion rights, while Kentucky voters are considering an initiative that aims to specify its constitution doesn’t protect abortion.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/abortion-features-prominently-in-midterm-elections-after-demise-of-roe-v-wade-11667826002?
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2. S. Carolina legislature’s final effort to tweak abortion law, By Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press, November 8, 2022, 1:14 AM
After a dozen meetings and sessions over the summer and fall, South Carolina lawmakers are almost out of time to do something to change the state’s abortion laws during a special session prompted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
A conference committee of state senators and House members will meet one last time Wednesday morning to try to sort out a compromise between the House, which wants a near total abortion ban, and the Senate, which wants to tweak the current law that amounts to a ban about six weeks after conception.
The full Senate is set to meet an hour after the committee to consider anything that passes with the House set to go into session Thursday if anything gets through the Senate.
By law, this year’s General Assembly session ends Sunday. With the election of 124 House members earlier in the week, everything resets and all bills must start from the beginning of the legislative process in January.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/s-carolina-legislatures-final-effort-to-tweak-abortion-law/2022/11/08/a58d99e0-5f2c-11ed-a131-e900e4a6336b_story.html
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3. Energy must not become ‘a tool of geopolitical coercion,’ European bishops say, By Elise Ann Allen, Crux, November 8, 2022
As winter approaches for much of Europe, bishops on the continent have urged policy makers to seek solutions to the ongoing energy crisis that are fair and sustainable, with special regard for the poor and those unable to cope with rising costs.
In their Nov. 7 statement, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) said Russia’s war on Ukraine “is having important consequences on the population in the EU and beyond.”
An overdependence on Russian oil and gas imports, they said, has thus allowed “the ‘weaponization’ of energy supplies by Russia, which has reinforced energy insecurity in Europe.”
“As a result, the soaring energy prices are affecting society as a whole, while hitting particularly hard the most vulnerable,” they said, and praised efforts of European and international policy makers to put forward plans ensuring “affordable, secure and sustainable” energy while also attempting to mitigate the impact of skyrocketing prices on individuals, families and businesses.
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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2022/11/energy-must-not-become-a-tool-of-geopolitical-coercion-european-bishops-say
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4. French cardinal says he abused 14-year-old girl 35 years ago, By Associated Press, November 7, 2022, 1:29 PM
Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, one of France’s highest-ranking prelates of the Catholic Church, said Monday that he had abused a 14-year-old girl 35 years ago and is withdrawing from his religious duties.
The move comes after a report issued last year revealed a large number of child sex abuse cases within the French Catholic Church.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/french-cardinal-says-he-abused-14-year-old-girl-35-years-ago/2022/11/07/1ff48f30-5eca-11ed-a131-e900e4a6336b_story.html
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5. Soros, Bloomberg pump millions into Michigan abortion push, By Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Agency, November 7, 2022, 2:15 PM
Out-of-state billionaires George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, joined by a “dark money” fund, are among the wealthy backers of Michigan’s proposed ballot measure to make abortion a constitutional right. Despite the influx of money, foes of Proposal 3 say the state’s voters are increasingly skeptical.
“Despite how much money they have spent, Proposal 3 continues to lose support,” Christen Pollo, spokeswoman for Citizens to Support MI Women and Children, told CNA. “The more voters learn about how confusing and extreme Proposal 3 is, the more they reject it.”
Proposal 3 would establish in the state constitution a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including the expansive legalization of abortion. It would allow for late-term abortions on broad mental health grounds. The proposed amendment would repeal existing laws requiring informed consent for abortion and parental consent requirements for teens seeking abortion, sterilization, or gender transition. It would repeal existing laws requiring abortion clinics to be licensed and inspected for health and safety reasons.
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Michigan’s Catholic bishops have been outspoken against the proposal. Their Oct. 10 letter called it “an immense threat to the dignity of human life.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252751/soros-bloomberg-and-dark-money-fund-michigan-s-pro-abortion-proposal-3
__________________________________________________________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. |
