Category Archives: Action Items

NOURISH NY Action Needed

The New York State Legislature voted to make NOURISH NEW YORK (NYS Senate Bill S4892A), the state’s farm to food bank/pantry initiative, a permanent state program.  This pandemic-initiative provides funding to New York’s food banks and emergency food providers (such as Catholic parish food pantries and other community food pantries) for the direct purchase of New York-produced fruit, vegetables and dairy products to feed those in need.   To-date, food banks have purchased and passed through to food pantries, 21 million pounds of agricultural products from New York farms which fed 1.3 million food-insecure families across the state.  NOURISH NEW YORK invests in a statewide food system that expands market opportunities for farmers, eliminates food waste, and makes sure no New Yorker goes hungry.   

Our advocacy on Diocesan Public Policy Weekend (February 2021) helped make the NOURISH NEW YORK program permanent, but legislative leaders never sent the bill to the Governor for signature!

Nourish NY action needed

 

Act Now to Stop Most Extreme Abortion Bill Ever

Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

September 20, 2021

Congress is about to vote on the most radical abortion bill of all time. The so-called “Women’s Health Protection Act” (H.R. 3755/S. 1975) would impose abortion on demand, at any stage of pregnancy. It would apply nationwide—even in states that don’t want it.

Even modest and popular pro-life laws at every level of government—the federal, state, and local level—would be on the chopping block. This includes parental notification for minor girls, informed consent, and health or safety protections for abortion facilities.

It would force Americans to pay for abortions here and abroad with their tax dollars.

It would also likely force health care professionals like doctors and nurses to perform, assist in, and/or refer for abortion against their deeply-held beliefs. Employers and insurers would be forced to cover or pay for abortion.

We need to tell the House NOW that this horrible bill must never be enacted. 

Join Archbishop Naumann in demanding the House oppose H.R. 3755/S.1975.

Check out the Archbishop’s letter and this fact sheet to learn more about what can be done to STOP this bill from becoming law.

Action Center

 

Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Heading to Senate

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Hyde and Helms Amendments. If the Senate agrees with these repeals, your tax dollars would pay for abortions in the United States and overseas.

We can still stop taxpayer-funded abortion. But we have to fight even harder now. The Senate needs to hear from many, many more people.

So far, over 145,000 people have signed the petition! Think of the impact if everyone who signed the petition got even just one more person to sign it.

Will you help?

Simply copy, paste, and post this text on your social media: Don’t let our government make you pay for the deaths of innocent babies. Sign the petition at www.notaxpayerabortion.com!

Widespread Action by June: Stop Taxpayer-Funded Abortion

The USCCB is targeting the first week of June for widespread action. The primary goal is for millions of Catholics to sign the petition on NoTaxpayerAbortion.com. We need your help making that happen.

Raise awareness by sharing the tools below:

Because of the incredibly high stakes and urgency needed, the goal of public efforts is a massive quantity of signatures.

Thank you very much for your work in defense of life!

Action Needed to Stop Infanticide

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 619) has again been introduced in Congress to protect babies from infanticide.

But efforts to bring the bill to a vote in the House are being blocked. Your action is needed to urge your Representative to sign a discharge petition that would allow this vote to occur.

Some states have passed laws to expand abortion and to repeal laws providing specific protections for babies born alive after surviving an attempted abortion. The Born-Alive Act would provide these specific protections nationwide to help prevent newborns from being killed or left alone to die.

We must continue to push Congress to pass the Born-Alive Act, so babies born alive following an abortion attempt are treated the same as any other newborn baby.  PLEASE ACT TODAY!!!

Take Action Click here

Click here for more information.

Action Center Alert – Bill Targeting Pro-Life Centers Advances

Legislation which would create a biased task force to help the State Health Department to “study” pro-life pregnancy centers has advanced from the Assembly Health Committee. The bill would enable the Health Commissioner to subpoena pro-life centers and force them to produce an overwhelming volume of data and reports. The pre-determined outcome of the “study” is to find the centers “limited” because they do not provide abortion. Urge your lawmakers to oppose this unnecessary and dangerous bill.

Take Action Click here

Pregnancy Centers ‘Study’ Memorandum of Opposition:

The above-referenced legislation would authorize the New York State Commissioner of Health to conduct a study and issue a report on the impact of pro-life pregnancy centers in the state. The pre-determined outcome of the “study” is that such services are too “limited” in denying pregnant women access to abortion.

The New York State Catholic Conference opposes this legislation and urges a negative vote.

By labeling pro-life pregnancy centers as “limited service pregnancy centers,” it appears the intention of the bill is to intimidate, silence and shut down pro-life pregnancy centers. This legislation will force such centers, which rely primarily on volunteer workers, to turn over to the state voluminous data including funding sources, services, staffing, operational guidelines, client demographics and more, even if they receive no state subsidies. The majority of pro-life pregnancy centers do not receive government funding.

New York State has one of the highest abortion rates in the nation, and in 2019 expanded its abortion law to make the procedure more widely available and accessible than it previously had been. A state that prides itself on being “pro-choice” should not be taking legislative action to obstruct the choice of childbirth.

We urge you to oppose A5499/S470.

Urgent Action needed to prevent taxpayer funding for abortion in COVID Relief Bill

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Last Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new COVID relief bill, called the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which addresses the needs of many vulnerable people related to the pandemic. Unfortunately, unlike previous COVID relief bills, this bill appropriates billions of taxpayer dollars that are not subject to longstanding, bi-partisan pro-life protections that are needed to prevent this funding from paying for abortions. The Senate is expected to vote this week.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote to Congress to express its support for additional COVID-19 relief that prioritizes the poor and vulnerable and its strong opposition to any taxpayer dollars going to abortion as part of this legislation, saying that the Hyde Amendment policy must be included before this bill moves forward. Your voice is critically needed today to tell your senators to support amendments that prevent abortion funding, and to work for their inclusion in the final bill.

ACTION CENTER

The Equality Act discriminates against people of faith and threatens unborn life. Tell Congress to oppose it!

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Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The Equality Act, which is being voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives soon, in many ways does the opposite and needs to be opposed. Instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith. The Equality Act would: punish faith-based organizations, such as charities and schools who serve everyone in their communities, simply because of their beliefs; force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women; risk mandating taxpayers to fund abortions; force people in everyday life, and especially health care workers, to support gender transition; and expand what the government considers a “public” place, forcing even some parish halls to host functions that conflict with Catholic beliefs.

ACTION CENTER

More on the Equality Act:  USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities  NEWS RELEASE