Latest news from CFC feed://www.catholicsforchoice.org/feed.xmlIt is sad that the Kenya Episcopal Conference chose to attack Catholics today rather than addressing the critical issue raised by the Condoms4Life campaign, one that simply states the truth: We believe in God. We believe that sex is sacred. We believe in caring for each other. We believe in using condoms, said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/KenyaBishopsChosetoattack.aspTue 7 May 2013 13:03:00 EDTFollowing the release of a report showing that among all religious people, Catholics are the most supportive of the use of condoms for contraception and preventing sexually transmitted diseases, Mombasa Archbishop Boniface Lele said, “With some counseling—and this is something we don’t tell everyone—you can ask couples to use condoms, so that the rate of reinfection goes down.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/SixQuestionsfortheKenyanBishops.aspFri, 10 May 2013 15:33:00 EDTAt a time when state legislatures continue to break new records for the number of restrictions on reproductive health-care access introduced, passed into law, and placed on ballots, when lawsuits against birth control coverage continue to trickle into the courts, when political candidates can’t even get it right on rape and the White House has repeatedly used abortion and birth control as bargaining chips, those of us who support reproductive autonomy face critical questions. One question should not be, as some have recently posited, whether or not a group adheres to a pro-choice or a reproductive justice frame when doing its work. It should be how each of us, individually and as organizations, can best use our knowledge, strengths, resources, and values to bring about change that makes women’s reproductive autonomy a reality.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/intheblogs/2013/WhyWeAreandMustRemainforChoice.aspThu, 25 Apr 2013 10:03:00 EDT“The Obama administration’s decision to appeal a federal judge’s order to make emergency contraception (EC) available to women of all ages without a prescription makes absolutely no sense,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. “Both the FDA and the courts have agreed that there are no good reasons to restrict access to this safe method of contraception. Studies have shown that EC is safer than aspirin and that it is a vital part of our efforts to reduce unplanned pregnancy. Polls and social studies have shown that EC is widely supported and used by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/CatholicsCondemnECdecision.aspThu, 2 May 2013 11:03:00 EDT“The Irish government has done what was required of it by a 1992 Irish Supreme Court ruling and a 2010 European Court Human Rights decision, but that does nothing for the vast majority of those Irish women who seek abortions,” said Jon O’Brien, the Irish-born president of Catholics for Choice. “Prime Minister Enda Kenny took the line of least resistance, crafting a bill that does the minimum demanded by the courts. The ‘Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill’ is an insult to the thousands of women who, every year, are forced to travel overseas to access abortion services.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/IrelandAbortionAccess.aspWed, 1 May 2013 17:00:00 EDTJust when you thought that the whole uproar surrounding condom advertisement was over, yet disquiet arises from the Church over a controversial condom campaign. If you’ve been keen enough, am sure you have seen a huge billboard at the Museum Hill overpass with the message, “We believe in God. We believe that sex is sacred. We believe in caring for each other. We believe in using condoms.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/CondomAdvertCausesAStirOnceAgain.aspTue, 30 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EDTA Catholic archbishop has disowned weeklong adverts by an American group supporting the use of condoms.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/Catholicclericdisownscondomad.aspTue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EDTSome of our readers have requested if I could make a comment on the Archbishop Peter Kairo of Nyeri’s statement on Sunday at St Cyprian Kagicha Catholic Church in Othaya that the position of the church was clearly against the use of condoms, when Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI encourages the use of it.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/thebigdebate.aspMon, 29 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EDTThe use of condoms as a family planning method among catholic faithful has always been a controversial subject. Whether biblically correct or morally wrong, the fight is now on billboard advertisement. The Kenya Episcopal Conference says, 'ignore the advert'. However, pro-choice Catholics insist that the advert is a pragmatic response to circumstances.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/CatholicsforChoicePushforRelevance.aspThu, 25 Apr 2013 15:26:00 EDTOpponents of the demand for ‘a woman’s right to choose’ have always been against the choice of abortion. So it is confusing and frustrating that feminist friends and colleagues, some of whom provide abortion, have decided to mount their own assault on the notion of reproductive choice. The new anti-choice movement believes the concept of reproductive choice is limited, outdated, culturally specific and that ‘reproductive justice’ better expresses the needs of women.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/remakingthecase.aspWed, 24 Apr 2013 12:26:00 EDTNairobi, Kenya—The Condoms4Life Campaign today assured Kenyans that Catholics support the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV. A billboard in Nairobi and newspaper ads in the Standard (today) and the Daily Nation (on Sunday) show an authentically Catholic message supporting the use of condoms as an HIV prevention method. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/Condoms4LifeNairobi.aspWed, 25 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EDTOpponents of the demand for ‘a woman’s right to choose’ have always been against the choice of abortion. So it is confusing and frustrating that feminist friends and colleagues, some of whom provide abortion, have decided to mount their own assault on the notion of reproductive choice. The new anti-choice movement believes the concept of reproductive choice is limited, outdated, culturally specific and that ‘reproductive justice’ better expresses the needs of women.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/remakingthecase.aspWed, 24 Apr 2013 15:09:00 EDTThe New York bishops’ conference, the lobbying arm of the Catholic hierarchy in the state, continues to argue that equal access to a comprehensive range of reproductive health services is not what Catholics want. The bishops have it all wrong. Their protest against abortion rights is a public demonstration about something that is a private decision.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/BishopsprotestNY.aspMon, 15 Apr 2013 12:30:00 EDTUnder the president’s budget for FY 2014, more than nine million women—women who are young, poor or disabled, as well as women serving our country in the military, the Peace Corps, the civil service and many others—will be denied coverage for abortion, said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. In the budget, President Obama made the right decision to reinstate federal policy that the District of Columbia may dedicate its own funds towards abortion services under Medicaid—correcting the mistake he made last year when he traded this right away to secure a political deal. Yet this nod to self-determination for the District highlights the difference between some American women having the freedom to access abortion care, and all women having that opportunity. These restrictions are an affront to democracy, to women’s rights and to the people who elected President Obama. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/CatholicsCallonObamaAdmintoEliminateReligiousExemps.aspThu, 11 Apr 2013 12:30:00 EDT“The Obama administration still has a chance to deliver on its promise to Americans, and especially to American women, but the current proposal tells hundreds of thousands of women that to the president, their healthcare is just not as important as their bosses’ beliefs and the bishops dictates about sex and reproduction,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice (CFC). His remarks summarized the comments he submitted on behalf of CFC to the latest set of proposed rules from the Department of Health and Human Services requiring no-cost coverage on contraceptive services and counseling under the Affordable Care Act." http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/CatholicsCallonObamaAdmintoEliminateReligiousExemps.aspMon, 8 Apr 2013 13:15:00 EDT“Today is an important day in the ongoing battle to ensure that all women have access to the reproductive health services they need,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. “The ruling by Federal District Judge Edward Korman that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must remove the age restriction on emergency contraception (EC) will enable more women to access EC in a timely manner. This is a very positive step and Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), should move quickly to make this a reality. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/CatholicLeaderWelcomesRulingonEC.aspFri, 5 Apr 2013 11:51:00 EDTRight now, the religious liberty and healthcare rights of all women remain in the balance as the Obama administration continues to deliberate a question that should not even be a question: whose conscience matters when making a female employee’s reproductive healthcare decisions—the woman’s, or her boss’s? Catholics throughout the country are making it known that they support women’s rights to follow their own consciences and do not agree with the bishops’ plans to deny women’s religious liberty and their access to preventive healthcare. http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5132/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=13291Thu, 4 Apr 2013 16:40:00 EDTGov. Andrew Cuomo designated women's equality as one of his top legislative priorities. There should be nothing controversial about promoting equal pay, fighting domestic violence and human trafficking, or affirming that a woman should be able to make her own reproductive health decisions. Yet the governor's action has sparked a furious response from the New York's Catholic bishops, who argue that access to comprehensive reproductive health services has no place in a discussion about women's health and well-being. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2013/Respectwomensautonomy.aspMon, 15 Mar 2013 12:05:00 EDTOrganizaciones que defiende los derechos de los homosexuales y la salud reproductiva hablan sobre las posiciones del Papa. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/DosdelosgrandesretosdelPapa.aspTue, 19 Mar 2013 16:15:00 EDT The choice of a Latin American to lead the globe's 1.2 billion Catholics stands to reinvigorate the church in its Latin American stronghold, helping it fight off growing inroads from Protestant evangelicals and raising its profile on controversial social issues like gay marriage and abortion.hhttp://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/InLatinAmericaCatholicsSeeaLift.aspFri, 15 Mar 2013 16:15:00 EDTCatholics for Choice international program senior associate Jacqueline Nolley Echegaray appeared on UP with Chris Hayes on MSNBC, where she discussed what the election of Pope Francis means for Catholics and people living in Latin America. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/CatholicsforChoiceonUpwChrisHayes.aspSat, 16 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EDT“We welcome Pope Francis,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, “and look forward to hearing about his priorities in the coming days. We do not expect very many changes, but sincerely hope that the culture will change to better reflect the needs of the church and of Catholics. As Cardinal Bergoglio, he was outspoken against the recent liberalization of Argentinian laws on abortion, stating flatly that ‘abortion is never a solution.’ But this is no surprise, as he and his fellow electors were all appointed by his two conservative predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II." http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/NewPopeAnnouncement.aspWed, 13 Mar 2013 15:42:00 EDTJaqueline Nolley Echegaray de Catholics for Choice, grupo de laicos, sobre la expectativa por la elección del nuevo Papahttp://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/DirectoUSAComienzaenConclave.aspTue, 12 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EDTOver the years, many Catholics have left the church because of its strict stand against contraception, abortion and homosexuality. But not those affiliated with Catholic Organizations for Renewal, or COR.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/Pro-ChoiceCatholicsWorkToChange.aspSat, 9 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST The world might be turning to Rome for word on the selection of a new pope. But Roman Catholics, Protestants and activists of all many faith traditions in Brevard County are focused on the future leadership of the influential worldwide religious body.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/Catholicswaitwatch.aspSat, 9 Mar 2013 13:05:00 EST““The issues that face us as Catholics are, like our church, universal, but we are in agreement about many areas that call out for true Catholic leadership. We have seen misconduct on a terrible scale, from the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy and its cover up by bishops and cardinals, to the mismanagement of the Vatican Bank and the tawdry palace intrigue in the Curia. The institutional church needs a leader who can root out corruption, demand accountability and champion transparency. We need to see in the leader of the world’s largest healthcare provider—one that provides a quarter of the world’s care to people living with HIV and AIDS—a compassion that meets people where there are and gives them what they need, rather than misplaced judgment and a rejection of the scientific learning that can help people live longer, healthier, happier lives with their loved ones. For most of us Catholics who aren’t part of the clerical class, we need a leader who can understand our hopes and dreams—and the real challenges that we face as we build loving relationships and raise our families by trying to create a better life for loved ones and for our neighbors."http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/CatholicsCallontheNextPope.asp Fri, 8 Mar 2013 10:03:00 EST“The Catholic Church at the United Nations: Church or State?” is the latest publication from Catholics for Choice. It provides an in-depth examination of the Holy See’s questionable denomination as a state; the curious history of its acceptance into the UN; and the ongoing campaign by the Holy See to use its status at the UN to impose its minority views on the global population, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/politics/TheCatholicChurchattheUnitedNationsChurchorState.asp Tue, 5 Mar 2013 12:03:00 ESTThe latest issue of Conscience includes new perspectives and detailed analysis from around the world on the changing debates and tactics about easing and restricting access to abortion.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/conscience/current/default.aspTue, 19 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST“The Board of Health’s resolution supporting comprehensive reproductive healthcare is one of the most sensible public policy statements we’ve seen in some time,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, about the Philadelphia Board of Health action Thursday. “Recent public policy proposals have been used to put a stranglehold on reproductive healthcare access, but these local officials have sent a different message.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/CatholicLeaderApplaudsPhiladelphiaResolutiononReproductiveHealthcare.aspFri, 15 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST“It will be nothing short of a miracle if the next papal conclave produces a good leader,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. “Pope Benedict XVI and John Paul II stacked the College of Cardinals with ultraconservatives. This means that it is highly likely that they will elect somebody very like them."http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/weneedamiracle.aspMon, 11 Feb 2013 11:42:00 ESTWhat is the matter with the bishops? Last week the Obama administration conceded the health and welfare of women to placate the bishops, and yet they’re still railing that they’re somehow offended.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/Whatisthematterwiththebishops.aspFri, 8 Feb 2013 11:42:00 ESTYesterday brought news that the White House had once again “compromised” on a woman’s right to reproductive health care. The newly announced compromise would allow employees at large not-for-profit organizations with religious affiliations, such as universities and hospitals, to receive contraceptive coverage, while at the same time enabling their employers to weasel out of paying for it.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/intheblogs/2012/ObamaadminsBCcave.aspSat, 2 Feb 2013 13:13:00 ESTJon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement today about the proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services on contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2013/doingtherightsthingthewrongway.aspFri, 1 Feb 2013 13:13:00 ESTMarking the 40th anniversary this week of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court This week marked the 40th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortions legal in the US, Roe vs. Wade.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/LetYourVoiceBeHeardTheAbortionDebate.aspSun, 27 Jan 2013 11:57:00 ESTAs we welcome the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, of Jan. 22, 1973, and begin the 2013 legislative session in Rhode Island, it appears that the more things have changed, the more things have stayed the same. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2013/RoevWadesidealsareRH.asp Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:57:00 ESTMarking the 40th anniversary this week of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, The Washington Times asked leading advocates on both sides of the issue to discuss the ruling, the present state of the abortion debate and where American attitudes on abortion are heading in the coming years. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/TwosidesofRoe.aspTue, 22 Jan 2013 13:14:00 ESTForty years after the US Supreme Court made a landmark ruling guaranteeing abortion rights under the Constitution, the decision is increasingly contested by opponents seeking to restrict access. .http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/40yearslaterabortionrightsstillcontested.aspMon, 21 Jan 2013 12:39:00 ESTJan. 22, 2013, marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2013/RoeV.WadeTurns40.aspTue, 22 Jan 2013 12:39:00 ESTIgnoring the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' warning that "contraception corrupts the soul," the Philippine Congress on Monday passed a sweeping bill that would provide birth control to millions of poor women.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/PhilippineCongressOKsbilltoofferBC.aspFri, 18 Dec 2012 12:20:00 ESTJon O'Brien grew up in Dublin and worked in Eastern Europe before immigrating to the United States in 1996. He is now a D.C. resident and president of the advocacy group Catholics for Choice, which works on issues ranging from abortion to AIDS to religion in public life. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/CredoJonOBrienofCFC.aspSat, 29 Dec 2012 12:20:00 ESTWhen people ask me why Catholics for Choice decided to make a movie, my answer usually starts with a story about a long train ride in the company of a prominent theologian a few years ago.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/intheblogs/2012/SecretHistoryofSexChoiceCatholics.aspWed, 19 Dec 2012 12:20:00 ESTToday, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a final ruling in favor of the right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Costa Rica..http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CourtApprovesIVFAccessforCostaRica.asp/Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:20:00 EST La Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos publicó hoy una sentencia definitiva a favor del derecho de acceso a la fecundación in vitro (FIV) en Costa Rica.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/afavordelafivencostarica.asp/Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:20:00 ESTA new report from Catholics for Choice unravels the ultraconservative agenda of the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), a self-appointed “watchdog” of Catholic higher education.In-depth research illustrates the society’s systematic efforts to silence advocates for reproductive health, women’s rights and LGBT rights, to name a few.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/ReportOnCNS-AcademicFreedom.asp/Tue, 18 Dec 2012 10:00:00 ESTToday in the Philippines the Reproductive Health Bill (known as the RH Bill) cleared its final hurdle when it was passed by the Senate 13-8 on its second and third reading. The bill will give millions of women the right to access contraception, which was, in many cases, out of their reach. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CatholicsApplaudFinalPassageofRHLaw.aspMon, 17 Dec 2012 12:43:00 ESTWhat does it mean to be “proabortion”? It means to favor abortion as the primary means of terminating or avoiding a pregnancy, to favor it above contraception, which seeks to prevent and protect against an unwanted or mistimed pregnancy.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Abortionandmotherhood.aspFri, 14 Dec 2012 12:43:00 ESTIn the early morning of December 13th, 2012, the Philippines House of Representatives voted to pass the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011 (commonly known as the RH bill), which will give millions of women access to contraception and other reproductive health services that were in many cases out of their reach.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2012/PhilippinesRHBill.aspThu, 13 Dec 2012 13:18:00 ESTThe Philippines House of Representatives has voted to pass the Reproductive Health Bill (commonly known as the RH Bill), which will give millions of women access to contraception that was, in many cases, out of their reach.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CatholicsHeraldPassageofRHbill.aspWed, 12 Dec 2012 13:18:00 ESTPlans to establish a medical school at the University of Texas and train its students at a Catholic-owned teaching hospital have rekindled debate over public health care services for women and the impact of Vatican rules against birth control.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Criticswary.aspSat, 8 Dec 2012 05:00:00 ESTEarlier this year, The New York Times ran a heart-rending story about a young woman identified as “Lisa.” Born to an alcoholic mother in Washington, D.C., Lisa endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of her father. At age 17, she was lured away by a man who promised to help but who instead prostituted her to men in a string of cheap hotels.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/CatholicBishopsShouldntImpose.aspSat, 1 Dec 2012 05:00:00 ESTContact Secretary Clinton and the State Department today, and tell them to revise the PEPFAR blueprint for 2013 to include family planning.http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5132/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12233Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:20:00 ESTAt perhaps a critical turning point in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, the U.S. government, the single largest funder in that fight, on Thursday unveiled a major new strategy for pushing towards achieving an “AIDS-free generation”, the stated U.S. goal.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/MajorNewU.S.AIDSPlan.aspThu, 29 Nov 2012 05:00:00 ESTThis morning, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will release ‘PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation’—the Obama administration’s plan for combating HIV and AIDS. For the plan to be effective, both family planning and condoms for HIV prevention must be included. Unfortunately, when it comes to making sure taxpayer-funded AIDS programs are comprehensive and designed to deliver the most effective interventions for people in need, the Obama administration’s track record has not been good.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CatholicGroupCallsonObamaAdmin.aspThu, 29 Nov 2012 09:07:00 ESTThe Secret History of Sex, Choice and Catholics,” a new documentary-style film produced by Catholics for Choice, sets the record straight about Catholic social teaching on issues related to sex and sexuality.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/SecretHistory.aspTue, 27 Nov 2012 12:45:00 ESTMeeting for the first time since voters in Maryland and two other states legalized same-sex marriage, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Tuesday that they have no plans to soften their position that genuine marriage can only occur between one man and one woman. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/CatholicBishopsstruggle.aspTue, 13 Nov 2012 15:51:00 ESTEmboldened by the re-election of President Barack Obama, a cadre of liberal Catholic activists and groups is waging a campaign alleging that America's Catholic bishops are out of touch with Catholic laypeople.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/intheblogs/2012/LiberalCatholicsuseelectionresults.aspTue, 13 Nov 2012 16:37:00 ESTAhead of Tonio Borg’s hearing on his candidature for the position of EU commissioner for health, there have been strong suggestions that his strongly-held personal views make him an unsuitable nominee.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Borgasuitablecandidate.aspTue, 13 Nov 2012 12:10:00 ESTL’Associazione Radicale Certi Diritti si appella al Presidente della Commissione europea José Manuel Barroso, alla commissione sanità ed ambiente del PE ed al governo maltese per rivedere la nomina di Tonio Borg a Commissario europeo.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Noauncaso.aspMon, 12 Nov 2012 12:10:00 ESTLes évêques catholiques américains, réunis pour trois jours en assemblée générale à Baltimore, ont affirmé lundi ne pas désarmer dans leur lutte contre la réforme de santé du président Barack Obama, à peine réélu, ainsi que contre le mariage homosexuel.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/LesevequescatholiquesattaquentlareformeObama.aspMon, 12 Nov 2012 11:10:00 ESTAs the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathers today, Catholics for Choice called on the bishops to engage in a serious examination of conscience as they reflect on their divisive political activities this year and the millions of dollars they spent trying to influence elections. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/USCCBBaltimore.aspMon, 12 Nov 2012 12:10:00 ESTWHO MADE Barack Obama win a second term, what many called a “second chance,” as US President? A wire report attributed his victory to a coalition of “Hispanic, African-American and young voters.” But Nancy K. Kaufman, a blogger for “Politics Daily,” wrote a day before the elections that the “deciding demographic of this year’s election” was women.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/WomenandthebishopsinUSpolls.aspThu, 8 Nov 2012 17:02:00 ESTAs I wrote in the wee hours of the morning, last night’s election results show that we’re undergoing a great religious realignment, one in which “nones” share an equal proportion of the electorate with evangelicals, one in which “nones” helped drive President Obama to a reelection victory, one in which an increasing number of “nones” are non-believers, yet one in which white religious conservatives remain the essential bulk of the Republican base. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/GreatReligiousRealignment.aspWed, 7 Nov 2012 17:02:00 ESTVoters in five states sent down in flames attempts to legislate preposterous restrictions on reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and religious liberty—measures for which the Catholic bishops had campaigned heavily and spent mightily. These victories in Florida, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington provide important insight into the “Catholic vote.” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/BishopsBallotMeasuresFail.aspWed, 7 Nov 2012 17:02:00 ESTCatholics for Choice congratulates Barack Obama on winning a second term as president of the United States. We look forward to working with his administration for another four years. During the campaign we heard the president reassert his commitment to women’s reproductive health. Catholics across the country share this commitment, and reject the interference of the US Catholic bishops in politics and in women’s healthcare decisions and access. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/WeStillHopeforChange.aspWed, 7 Nov 2012 12:49:00 ESTA full-page ad in the New York Times is my idea of making a statement. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s buy on October 28, 2012 is a clean, clear investment in getting their message across. The half-fold portrait of the Rev. Graham, albeit a bit dated, accompanies a strong statement of highlights of the Republican platform, with his signature added for good measure. The message is “Vote for biblical values this November 6.” This is America. You can buy what you can’t win by persuasion.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/CatholicsChooseConscience.aspFri, 2 Nov 2012 14:50:00 ESTA British theologian who has expressed support for gay marriage said the University of San Diego withdrew a fellowship because of her views.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/UniversityofSanDiego.aspFri, 2 Nov 2012 14:50:00 ESTCatholics across the state of Florida have taken action to oppose two proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution: Amendments 6 and 8 appear on the November 6 ballot.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CFCMobilizesFLCatholics.aspMon, 5 Nov 2012 14:50:00 ESTon O’Brien says he’s a good Catholic. Though his leadership of the group “Catholics for Choice” puts him in clear opposition to Church positions on contraception and reproduction, “I believe in the totality of Catholic teaching, and that includes the right to dissent and freedom of conscience,” he said. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Leaderofpro-choiceCatholicgroup.aspMon, 29 Oct 2012 15:34:00 EDT This memo highlights the results from a national public opinion survey conducted by Belden Russonello Strategists for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Catholics for Choice. Participants were asked about specific examples of denying reproductive health services for religious reasons, as well as the concept of religious exemptions in general.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/catholicsandchoice/documents/BRSACLU.pdfFri, 26 Oct 2012 15:34:00 EDTThis memo highlights the findings from a national public opinion survey conducted for Catholics for Choice by Belden Russonello Strategists. The survey explored Catholic voters’ presidential preference, issue priorities and opinion of certain church policies.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/catholicsandchoice/documents/BRSCatholic.pdfFri, 26 Oct 2012 15:32:00 EDTA new poll, jointly commissioned by the American Civil Liberties Union and Catholics for Choice, shows that Americans reject policies that allow institutions to refuse to provide reproductive health services on religious grounds. When asked about the general concept of such exemptions and about specific examples, large majorities of those polled opposed the denial of healthcare services and access to contraception.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CFC-ACLUpoll.asp Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:38:00 EDTJon O'Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice whose pro-gay and pro-choice stances have put him at odds with some church leaders, is Chicago-bound this week. O'Brien is among the featured speakers at this year's Personal PAC Annual Awards Luncheon Oct. 30. Windy City Times caught up with O'Brien to talk about his views on the Catholic hierarchy's anti-gay positions and the future of Catholicism in light of those controversies.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/CFCWindyCityTimes.asp Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:37:00 ESTIf all Catholics listened to their bishops, then it would be easy to predict how one of the biggest blocs in the country would vote. But they don't. And it isn't.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/CatholicsleantowardDems.asp Sun, 21 Oct 2012 11:45:00 ESTLike most people, when I face a health-care decision, I want to be able to consult the people I trust for advice. I talk to my doctor and my family. I might consult my minister or spiritual adviser.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/NaplesNewsAmendment6.aspWed, 17 Oct 2012 11:45:00 ESTThe majority of American Catholics favor President Barack Obama, according to a poll released last week from Belden Russonello Strategists and commissioned by Catholics for Choice, a pro-choice organization. Forty-six percent of the 1,000 Catholic likely voters surveyed said they would vote for Obama next month, with 41 percent opting for Gov. Romney and 12 percent remaining undecided. The poll had a margin of error of 3.1 percent. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/TPMPoll.aspMon, 15 Oct 2012 11:45:00 ESTLast night’s vice-presidential debate concluded with a brief, five-minute discussion about abortion and religion. Both candidates expressed their party’s position, their own personal perspective and how it related to their Catholic faith. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/VPdebate.aspFri, 12 Oct 2012 11:45:00 ESTA new poll of 1,000 self-identified Catholic likely voters shows that, despite the best efforts of the bishops, Catholic voters are least concerned about abortion and gay marriage and most concerned about jobs, public education and healthcare. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/NewPollRevealsHowCatholicsViewKeyElectionIssues.aspThu, 11 Oct 2012 10:34:00 ESTThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta has joined dozens of other religious institutions to have filed lawsuits seeking to overturn the so-called birth control mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/AtlantaWABEe.aspThu, 11 Oct 2012 11:45:00 ESTThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta has joined dozens of other religious institutions to have filed lawsuits seeking to overturn the so-called birth control mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Archdiocesefilessuitoverbirthcontrolmandate.aspWed, 10 Oct 2012 11:45:00 EST This morning in Rome, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the International We Are Church Movement and the European Church on the Move Network organized a press conference to give “witness to and hope for a church ever more free and human, built on communities of baptized Christians deeply committed to ministry in the church and justice in the world.” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/50thAnniversaryofSecondVaticanCouncil.aspTue, 9 Oct 2012 16:34:00 ESTPatricia Casey's views on abortion were formed at the age of 12 when she came across an image of what looked to her like a torn-apart baby - an aborted foetus.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Anti-abortionactivistsprepareforbattleinIreland.aspThu, 4 Oct 2012 11:45:00 ESTJon O’Brien Presidente de Catholics for Choice acoge con agrado la aprobación por la Cámara de Diputados de Uruguay de un proyecto de ley que despenaliza el aborto. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/abortoenUruguay.aspWed, 26 Sep 2012 15:34:00 ESTJon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, welcomed the vote in the Uruguay to legalize abortion. He said, “For far too long, the Catholic hierarchy has negatively influenced reproductive health policies in Uruguay and other countries in Latin America, forcing women to resort to illegal, often unsafe backstreet abortions.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/AbortionUruguay.aspWed, 26 Sep 2012 11:50:00 ESTThe notion of a “big tent” coalition is a thought that takes extreme precedence in the current two-party state that dominates American democracy. Building a political coalition, for Democrats and Republicans, becomes a high-wire tightrope walk which requires subtlety, nuance, and persuasion. An example of that balancing act pertains to President Barack Obama and his down-ticket colleagues, who are tasked with juggling the interests of both Pro-Choice and Pro-Life Democrats to produce a triumphant ticket. The question then becomes whether the recent focus on women’s rights within the Democratic Party will result in a wider electorate or turn off key voters, particularly moderate faith-based voters? http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Pro-ChoiceandPro-LifeDems.aspFri, 21 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EST Earlier this month, in nearly identical benedictions at the two national political conventions, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York talked about the importance of religious liberty. He called it "the first, most cherished freedom bequeathed upon us at our Founding."http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Religiouslibertyemerges.aspMon, 17 Sep 2012 09:00:00 ESTThe exercise of conscience in health care is generally considered synonymous with refusal to participate in contested medical services, especially abortion. This depiction neglects the fact that the provision of abortion care is also conscience-based. The persistent failure to recognize abortion provision as “conscientious” has resulted in laws that do not protect caregivers who are compelled by conscience to provide abortion services, contributes to the ongoing stigmatization of abortion providers, and leaves theoretical and practical blind spots in bioethics with respect to positive claims of conscience — that is, conscience-based claims for offering care, rather than for refusing to provide it.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/abortion/RecognizingConscienceinAbortionProvision.aspThu, 13 Sep 2012 10:46:00 ESTThe Sisters of Saint Joseph are waiting for a bus, glistening ever so slightly as they stand in the near-100-degree heat of a late June afternoon, huddled under a couple of pine trees that border an asphalt parking lot in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. The blocky, charmless building the lot services is home to the district office of Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, a Tea Party Republican, and the bus the sisters are waiting for isn’t any old municipal four-wheeler. The Nuns on the Bus are coming to town.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/HolyRollers.aspThu, 6 Sep 2012 10:46:00 ESTDuring the Democratic National Convention a unique gathering of progressive advocacy groups came together in Charlotte with a message for the Democratic National Committee. They called upon the committee to stand up for people of faith and no faith and not allow conservative politicians and religious leaders to redefine the meaning of religious liberty.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/DNCreligiousfreedom.aspTue, 4 Sep 2012 15:45:00 ESTThe move to bring abortion services to Southland Hospital is to be applauded. It is the right thing to do and serves the local community well. Sadly for the majority of Catholics who are pro choice, the Catholic hierarchy, through Bishop Colin Campbell of Dunedin, has been leading the opposition. In addressing his resistance to this development, I will follow his advice to 'think globally, act locally'. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2012/OppositiontoabortionNZs.aspTue, 4 Sep 2012 13:00:00 ESTThe schedule for the Democratic National Convention is laid out a little differently than the RNC's, at least on the first day. Where the Republicans offered a series of speeches one after another, on Tuesday the Democrats will mix major speeches with panel discussions. Here's The Daily Beast's guide for what to watch on day one in Charlotte.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/5ThingstoWatchattheDNC.aspTue, 4 Sep 2012 12:30:00 ESTThere are two important rights involved in religious freedom: the right to practice one’s religion as one sees fit (as long as it does not harm others) and the right to be free from religion. The latest issue of Conscience brings together some of the leading voices in the field to examine an issue that is at the forefront of political debates today.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/conscience/current/default.aspTue, 28 Aug 2012 14:30:00 ESTThe Catholic church has been planted solidly in the middle of arguments over reproductive rights this year. At the same time, attitudes in the church are starting to shift. Where are American Catholics going on reproductive rights? In this final part of our discussion, Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, shares his thoughts on this, and discusses his life and career.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/JOBpeakingupforprochoiceCatholics.aspFri, 24 Aug 2012 16:00:00 ESTThe Catholic church has been planted solidly in the middle of arguments over reproductive rights this year. At the same time, attitudes in the church are starting to shift. Where are American Catholics going on reproductive rights? In this final part of our discussion, Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, shares his thoughts on this, and discusses his life and career.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/JOBpeakingupforprochoiceCatholics.aspFri, 24 Aug 2012 16:00:00 ESTCardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is scheduled to deliver the concluding benediction at the Republican National Convention next week, after Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/BishopsGodvotesRepublican.aspThu, 23 Aug 2012 15:00:00 ESTJon O’Brien is the president of Catholics for Choice, which is a leading advocacy group for promoting reproductive rights within the Church community. In a detailed discussion with me, he explains how Catholic tradition is more inclusive than some might think, why hardliners stand to harm their religion more than help it, and much more. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/AskingJOBPart1.aspThu, 23 Aug 2012 15:40:00 ESTA coalition of advocates from women’s rights and gay rights organizations urged the Republican Party platform committee to bring an inclusive and moderate document to the convention.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/RepublicansforgayequalitychoiceurgeaninclusiveGOPplatform.aspWed, 22 Aug 2012 11:53:00 ESTTwo conservative groups have released a “Survey of Religious Hostility in America,” which seeks to draw attention to a “relentless onslaught” against religious people and institutions.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Conservativegroupsreleasesurvey.aspWed, 22 Aug 2012 11:53:00 ESTA unique gathering of advocacy groups came together in Tampa to urge the Republican Party Committee on Resolutions (the platform committee) to consider all faith viewpoints when it comes the country’s most pressing social issues—including access to reproductive healthcare and the freedom to marry.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CallforInclusivityinGOPPlatform.aspTue, 21 Aug 2012 12:00:00 ESTKudos for challenging your readership by raising the issue of later abortion, “Abortion-rights groups absent on fetal pain laws” on August 13. It would be a mistake, however, to be taken in by the Trojan horse of “fetal pain” as a wedge issue - that may, in fact, be the stroke that is “handing victories to anti-abortion groups.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2012/politicoresponse.aspMon, 20 Aug 2012 11:53:00 ESTTHIS SUMMER, a group of nuns boarded a bus and undertook to travel to nine states in the US. The bus was painted an unmissable sky-blue, complete with clouds, and it bore their message in large letters. “Nuns on the bus,” it announced, beside the slogan that read more tamely: “Nuns drive for faith, family fairness”. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/USsister.aspMon, 13 Aug 2012 12:10:00 ESTLocal IVF practitioners are interpreting government’s decision to bring ultra-conservative Catholic Eleonora Porcu to Malta as an IVF expert as a move in the direction of having the local IVF facilities at Mater Dei under the control of the Vatican. Porcu has been Medical Doctor and Assistant Professor in Reproductive Medicine at the University of Bologna since 1977. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/VaticanIVF.aspWed, 8 Aug 2012 14:00:00 ESTNew rules requiring free access to prescription birth control for women with health insurance go into effect on Wednesday, but controversy lingers at some Catholic institutions struggling to balance the requirement with their opposition to contraception.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/USrulehighlightsCatholictensions.aspWed, 1 Aug 2012 15:15:00 ESTThe Rev. Harry Knox, the new president and CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, hit opposition to the Affordable Care Act with some harsh words on Monday, at an RCRC-hosted press conference launching a "celebration and education campaign for contraceptive coverage."http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/ReligiousLeadersAccuseConservatives.aspTue, 31 Jul 2012 14:00:00 ESTWell, what do you know… It seems that President Benigno Aquino III’s brief mention, almost in passing, in his State of the Nation Address of the importance of “responsible parenthood” lit a fire under the bottoms of the House and Senate leadership.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/CatholicscondomsandtheRHbill.aspSat, 28 Jul 2012 13:00:00 ESTCatholics for Choice is dismayed by the injunction in favor of Hercules Industries, a for-profit, private, heating and air conditioning company owned by a Catholic family. The injunction allows the company’s executives to deny affordable coverage to employees for contraceptive services and counseling as required by new federal regulations going into effect next Wednesday. This exemption constitutes court-sanctioned discrimination against Hercules’ employees by allowing its executives’ personal objections to contraception to trump their employees’ own beliefs and consciences. The judge stated that this ruling only applied to Hercules, but there is no guarantee that other cases and other judges will not extend the ruling more broadly.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/COruling.aspFri, 27 Jul 2012 15:00:00 ESTAt the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington DC this week, activists from around the world are exchanging experiences about what works in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Advocates from the Philippines will be paying attention to the wisdom gathered in other areas. Unfortunately, we are hindered in accessing one lifesaving tool--condoms.http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2012/CatholicChurchinhibitsAIDSworkinPhilippines.aspWed, 25 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST“The XIX International AIDS conference this week in Washington, DC, has highlighted the involvement of faith-based organizations in providing AIDS care around the world,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. “Catholic people and organizations have been on the front lines of providing care and treatment for many years—and the Vatican claims that Catholic agencies provide 25 percent of AIDS care globally.http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CatholicsCallforanEndtoSecond-ClassHIV-PreventionPrograms.aspWed, 25 Jul 2012 12:40:00 ESTWhen is a condom more than a condom? When it becomes the catalyst for controversy, intimidation and even criminal prosecution, as it has in many places around the world today, a panel of experts said Sunday.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Whenisacondommorethanacondom.aspMon, 23 Jul 2012 12:40:00 ESTAs the XIX International AIDS Conference comes to Washington D.C., the issue of condom use to prevent the spread of HIV will certainly be a central topic of debate. For many involved, the statement that Pope Benedict XVI made in 2010 still resonates. In a great leap forward for the Catholic Church, he said that using condoms to prevent the spread of HIV can be “a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2012/TruthaboutCatholicsandCondoms.aspFri, 20 Jul 2012 12:40:00 ESTAmid a battle with President Barack Obama over a new contraception mandate, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops are promoting "natural" family planning -- but will their flock take heed?http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/AmidpoliticalbattleCatholicbishopspromoteNFP.aspThu, 19 Jul 2012 15:00:00 ESTWednesday’s vote in the House to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act is not the only path being taken to trample on women's rights. A new bill from Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) seeks to allow employers to discriminate against their employees in new and far-reaching ways. HR 6097 would mean that any employer that, for a religious or moral reason, refuses to comply with the law requiring insurance coverage of preventive services and medicines, including contraception, with no additional out-of-pocket cost would be exempted from all taxes and penalties. In short, company owners could impose their own religious beliefs on their employees and get away with it.http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2012/Freedomofreligion.aspFri, 13 Jul 2012 16:32:00 EST This summer, Americans of every faith and of none have been subjected to the propaganda machine of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and their “Fortnight for Freedom” campaign. By all measures, the fortnight fell flat. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/about/message/default.asp Tue, 3 Jul 2012 16:32:00 EST Catholics for Choice is pleased that the Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. We are also aware, however, that the battle to ensure that individuals can make conscience-based decisions about their healthcare is not over. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has made clear that it will stop at nothing to block the ability of women and families to access contraception, even if it means derailing policies and programs that provide healthcare to those in need. CFC will continue to speak for the millions of Catholics whose views are not represented by the bishops, and who support increased access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare for all women and men as a matter of social justice and sound public policy. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CatholicsPleasedwithSupremeCourtRulingonACAt.asp Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:32:00 EST When 43 Catholic dioceses, universities, and charities simultaneously filed lawsuits against the Department of Health and Human Services last month, charging that the proposed regulation requiring insurance coverage for contraception violated their religious freedom, a simmering conflict between the First Amendment's protections for religious freedom and against government preference for a particular religion once again took center stage. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/WhosAfraidofSecularGovernment.asp Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST His protestations to the contrary, Michael Gerson has a strange notion of how to achieve a true respect for pluralism [“Obama's culture war,”op-ed June 20]. We agree with Mr. Gerson that a political community may contain many people pursuing different ways of life, but we reject his assertion that government should not have to defend individuals from social oppression and discrimination. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2012/govtsrolepluralism.asp Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is kicking off its so-called Fortnight for Freedom this evening. Fortnight for Discrimination would be a better name for it. The bishops seem to be most concerned about their own power to discriminate against others' freedom to act according to their conscience. Catholics and other believers in true freedom of religion throughout the United States are coming out against the ways the bishops are playing fast and loose with some fundamental truths. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CatholicsRejectFortnight.asp Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST As those efforts continue, advocates with Catholics for Choice noted that thousands have submitted comments to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department in support of the mandate. The group filed its own 12-page statement on Tuesday, which cited a poll showing that a strong majority of Catholics believe private insurance plans should cover birth control. The comments also touched on an issue central to the debate — the difference in how supporters and objectors view moral choices. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Catholicsleadersseektorally.asp Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST An association of lay Catholics will air a nationwide ad against the Obama administration's birth control coverage mandate on Fox News Thursday. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Adagainstbcmandate.asp Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST "I realized I had become pregnant. I was worried -- how would I continue to work? How would my children eat? Go to school?" Beatriz told me last month when I sat down with her in Medellin, Colombia. Beatriz is a widow and the mother of five children. She did not plan her last child. She was raped -- and had no access to information about preventing unwanted pregnancy or emergency contraception. She wasn't able to go see a doctor when it happened. When it was clear she was pregnant -- her first thought was about the economic safety and security of her family. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/intheblogs/2012/TheFutureWomenWant.asp Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST Thousands of Catholics from across the country spoke out this week, making clear their support for coverage of contraception at no additional cost in insurance plans, and showing without a doubt that the bishops do not speak for them on issues of family planning or religious liberty. More than 3,600 people have joined Catholics for Choice in submitting comments to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius supporting the inclusion of no-cost contraception coverage as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CatholicsTellHHS.asp Tue, 19 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST As the negotiations for Rio+20 continue, once again the Vatican is using its privileged position at the United Nations to impose its extremist religious agenda on the negotiation process. This time, the Holy See's devotion to dogma over the rights and needs of those living in poverty has the potential to derail the global development agenda for the next several years. There is too much at stake to allow the Holy See to continue to capitalize on a quirk of history—its designation as a Nonmember State Permanent Observer at the UN—to impose its ultraconservative interpretation of Catholic teachings on the global community. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/politics/ResourcesforRio20.asp Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST "As Bishop Lori and his colleagues discussed alleged threats to religious freedom at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, Catholics in the US shrugged and went about their daily business of putting food on the table and keeping their families healthy and happy," said Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. "The bishops just don't get it." http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CatholicsRejectAttemptstoRedefine.asp Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:52:00 EST “The electorate in North Dakota saw though the smokescreen of Orwellian newspeak that the USCCB's public relations machine manufactured in the last few weeks to roundly defeat a measure that would have imposed the bishops' failed ideology on the electorate with no regard for their freedom of conscience or religion. A large majority, 64 percent of those voting, overturned an attempt to redefine religious liberty in a manner that would allow conservatives to impose their religious beliefs on others,” said Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. “The electorate judged that the move would have a detrimental impact on existing laws and allow some crimes to become protected under the redefined religious freedom arguments. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/NDMeasure3.asp Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST More than 100 people rallied at the federal courthouse in Charlotte Friday in protest of a mandate that requires employers' health plans to offer coverage for contraceptives. They argue that religious institutions should be exempt from the requirement. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/ContraceptiveMandateFocusofProtest.asp Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST In press releases during the past months, in alerts by state Catholic Conferences, in statements that they have made in various media outlets and in their official comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the bishops have explained why they oppose the HHS decision supporting access to no-copay contraception. In making their case, they have relied on spurious claims about religious liberty, conscience and science to attempt to mislead policymakers and the public. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/politics/TheTruthAboutReligiousFreedom.asp Thu, 7 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST The bishops have the freedom to preach, but not the freedom to steamroll policy over the existing, thoughtfully crafted protections for religious freedom. They seek to restrict others' conscience rights to protect a fictional monolithic “Catholic conscience.” They should know better: they have tried to impose a minority view over the unwilling many for years, and have failed. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/op-eds/2012/CatholicsandtheBirthControlMandate.asp Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:52:00 EST “How can we do away with the government planning everything?” It was fitting that these words, uttered by Dr. Francisco J. González Estepa of the Asociación de Homeschoolers Evangélicos, were among some of the first on the last day of the World Congress for Families (WCF) in Madrid. González ʼ vague and genuinely fearful question helped usher in the most paranoid day of the event. That the Congress could end any other way, however was quite unlikely. With speeches such as “The Role of Media in the Education of Children/Indoctrination,” “Religious Persecution Worldwide,” “Religious Symbols in Public Spaces, a Right?,” “Promoting Fatherhood (Crisis in Manhood),” and its counterpoint, “Promoting Motherhood (Crisis in Womanhood),” the final day of the conference appeared to be specifically organized to gin up enough fear and outrage to embolden the participants in their fight against “change” and “the future” for the 12 long months stretching between May 27 and next year's World Congress of Families in Sydney, Autralia. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/oppositionwatch/WCF2012day3.asp Wed, 30 May 2012 17:52:00 EST Though presented as a description of the prochoice community, this comment by Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute's Austin Ruse during the day's opening plenary session established the feats of psychological transference that would characterize the sessions, workshops and casual conversations for Day Two of the World Congress of Families. The second day was faithful to the spirit of the first. We were presented with false anthropological notions of human history and behavior. Citations of the UN Declaration of Human Rights were almost immediately followed by vitriolic condemnations of the UN. And, as a matter of course, so-called divinely preordained laws governing human sexual norms were presented as incontestable. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/oppositionwatch/WCF2012day2.asp Sun, 27 May 2012 17:52:00 EST The core message of the 2012 World Congress of Families was revealed right at the outset of day one: the legitimacy of the opinions presented as fact at this event is drawn from both international consensus and science, so long as both comport with the presenters' worldview. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/oppositionwatch/WCF2012day1.asp Sat, 26 May 2012 17:52:00 EST This weekend, May 25–27, the biennial World Congress of Families (WCF) international conference will be held in Madrid, Spain. Running under the banner “Marriage and the Family: The Future of Society,” this year's conference promises to be an echo chamber for regressive social views presented by advocates from a variety of arch-conservative organizations, notably the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society, its sponsor http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/oppositionwatch/WCF2012bios.asp Fri, 25 May 2012 17:52:00 EST These brief biographies represent some of the speakers at this weekend's event, with many more scheduled to present talks and workshops. Links to previous research by Catholics for Choice on these organizations are provided. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/oppositionwatch/WCF2012intro.asp Fri, 25 May 2012 17:52:00 EST A number of Catholic dioceses, schools and other institutions announced Monday afternoon that they are suing the Obama administration for the mandate on requiring most employers to cover birth control in their workers' plans, according to The Associated Press. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Catholicinstitutionsfilelawsuit.asp Tue, 22 May 2012 17:52:00 EST “The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution has launched an unconscionable attack on the right of women in the District of Columbia to access late abortion services,” said Jon O'Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice. “Making no exceptions for cases of rape, incest or fetal abnormalities, the antichoice policymakers behind the hearing betray their indifference to women's unique circumstances and the conscience-based decisions they make to have an abortion.” http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/AnUnconscionableAttackonDCwomen.asp Thu, 17 May 2012 17:52:00 EST “The ‘Health Care Right of Conscience Act,' signed yesterday by Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, will impose outrageous restraints on women seeking healthcare services,” said CFC president Jon O'Brien in a statement today. “In addition, it uses fake science in equating emergency contraception to drugs like RU-486—despite the best efforts of antichoice activists, the scientific consensus is that they are different. With the help of Gov. Brownback, women of Kansas will now suffer from this abuse of science and power.” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/KSGov.asp Tue, 15 May 2012 17:52:00 EST Abortion and gay marriage. For years, they've been lumped together as the paramount wedge issues of U.S. politics — hot-button topics in the vortex of sexuality, personal freedom and public policy. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Gaymarriageabortion.asp Mon, 14 May 2012 17:52:00 EST Women's rights in Hungary were restricted when a new constitution was introduced in January. Listen to CFC president Jon O'Brien's speech to Hungarian activists in Budapest about the dire consequences that came about when a similar thing happened in Ireland, find out the truth about Catholic teaching on abortion, and why it matters for women in Hungary, Ireland and all over the world. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/podcasts/JOBHungarypresentation.mp3 Tue, 8 May 2012 17:52:00 EST At age 30 and single, Christa Dias wanted a baby and decided on artificial insemination. The results: a 14-month-old daughter she adores, a lost job and a federal discrimination lawsuit now moving forward that is being viewed as a barometer on the degree to which religious organizations can regulate employees' lives. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/SingleMomCatholicSchoolsDiscriminated.asp Tue, 1 May 2012 17:52:00 EST “The USCCB seems to think that it has the right to redefine religious liberty. It does not. The US Constitution is very clear that religious liberty includes freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion, despite the best efforts of the bishops to pretend otherwise. A well-publicized statement from Cardinal Timothy Dolan in Easter week acknowledged that the Catholic hierarchy has a lot of work to do in educating Catholics about the bishops' teachings. This new document from the bishops is an odd way to start—by seeking to impose themselves into political debates that take on extra importance in an election year. The principles of religious liberty and freedom of conscience are foundational ones for Catholics, as indeed they are for all Americans. And they have been codified in the Constitution to protect against religious intrusions in our lives, such as the ones the bishops are now trying to impose. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/BishopsSeektoRedefine.asp Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:52:00 EST Destigmatizing abortion is vitally important for the health and well-being of women around the world. Sadly, in too many places, abortion is a thorny issue. The latest issue of Conscience explores the controversies surrounding abortion, including late abortion and public funding for contraception and abortion care. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/podcasts/JOBHungarypresentation.mp3 Sun, 1 Apr 2012 17:52:00 EST By a vote of 51-48 this morning, US Senators blocked an amendment sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) that would have allowed any employer or insurance company to override an individual employee's right to access comprehensive healthcare and therefore to make healthcare decisions based on their own beliefs. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/BluntAmendment.asp Thu, 1 Mar 2012 17:52:00 EST En una conferencia sobre la infertilidad convocada por el Vaticano la semana pasada, el Papa Benedicto XVI arremetió contra las técnicas de reproducción asistida como la fecundación in vitro. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/InsensiblescomentariosdelPapa.asp Thu, 1 Mar 2012 17:52:00 EST At a Vatican conference on infertility last week, Pope Benedict XVI railed against reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization. Speaking in the Vatican to an audience of conservative researchers and medical experts, the pope warned against the “easy income” that could be made from the “fascination of the technology of artificial fertility.” Both scientists and the families who benefit from scientific advances in fertility treatment are guilty of “the arrogance of taking the place of the creator,” Benedict said. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/Popescommentsoninfertility.asp Tue, 27 Feb 2012 17:52:00 EST Today, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing titled, “Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/HearingonReligionandFreedom.asp Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:52:00 EST The White House has announced what it would like us to call an “accommodation” on access to insurance coverage for birth control. Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, said: “We are glad to see that the administration did not choose to cave completely to the bishops. But the reality is that this compromise relies on insurance companies doing the right thing, and gives victory #1 to the bishops on their ‘religious liberty' shopping list. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/campaignbybishops.asp Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:52:00 EST This morning, leaders of more than twenty mainstream religious traditions issued an open letter to the White House, supporting the announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services that contraceptive services must be covered by most insurance policies without deductibles or copays, with only religious organizations to be considered exempt. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/JointStatementFromFaithGroups.asp Wed, 8 Feb 2012 17:52:00 EST The campaign by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops against alleged religious intolerance should be seen today for the shell that it really is. In a nation where the largest single religious denomination in Congress is Catholicism; where six of the nine Supreme Court justices and more than a quarter of the population were baptized Catholic and where one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, DC, is the bishops themselves, it hardly seems plausible to believe that there is widespread intolerance of Catholic views. In fact, it's completely implausible. There is a certain intolerance, or more correctly, rejection of some of the bishops' demands, but that is to be expected when it is widely known that the vast majority of Catholics disagree with the bishops, ignore their dictates and, instead, act according to their own individual consciences—which is precisely what Catholic teachings demand of them. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/bishopslobby.asp Wed, 1 Feb 2012 17:52:00 EST President Obama listened to all of the women and men who called, e-mailed and wrote to the White House to express their support for family planning decisions staying in the hands of women. In so doing, he remained true to the original vision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and refused to bend the knee to intense lobbying from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic healthcare industry and other special interests who wanted him to expand a refusal clause that would have denied millions of women access to affordable family planning. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/ObamaFinallyDoestheRightThingforWomen.asp Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:52:00 EST The never-ending efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to force US law to comply with the bishops' interpretation of Catholic teachings continue. The USCCB has rounded up its colleagues in the Catholic healthcare industry and allies in Catholic education, social services, NGOs and religious orders and placed a full-page ad in today's Washington Post calling for an expansive refusal clause that will ensure that millions of women and men are denied no-cost family planning coverage. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/BishopsContinueLobbyingonHealthcareReform.asp Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:52:00 EST Catholics for Choice provided testimony supporting human trafficking victims' access to reproductive healthcare to a hearing of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today. We are pleased that the hearing, called “HHS and the Catholic Church: Examining the Politicization of Grants,” is investigating the grant-making process. There is a real danger that something other than the well-being of trafficking victims may upstage the healthcare needs of these vulnerable women—as well as their conscience-based right to act upon those needs. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) receives over $2 billion a year in grants from the US government, but objects to the decision by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to give preference to organizations that provide information on and referrals to the full range of reproductive healthcare services when administering Trafficking Victim Services Grant Awards. Today's hearing was called to allow the voices of those in need of the services delivered under these grants to be heard. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/HearingonCapitolHillExaminesFederalGrant-makingStandardsforProgramsServingHumanTraffick.asp Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:52:00 EST In a stunning setback for women's access to healthcare services, President Obama's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has ignored the advice of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ease the restrictions on the sales of Plan B, a method of emergency, or after-sex, contraception. In a rare sign of public dissent within the administration, the FDA commissioner, Margaret Hamburg MD wrote, “I reviewed and thoughtfully considered the data, clinical information, and analysis provided by CDER [Center for Drug Evaluation and Research] , and I agree with the Center that there is adequate and reasonable, well-supported, and science-based evidence that Plan B One-Step is safe and effective and should be approved for nonprescription use for all females of child-bearing potential.” This means that the proposal to remove the pills from over-the-counter status, and permit pharmacies to place them on shelves like other safe and effective oral medications, cannot now take place. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/ObamaAdministrationRejectsScientificEvidenceonEC.asp Wed, 7 Dec 2011 17:52:00 EST Members of Congress and their staff will this afternoon hear from a diverse group of faith-based organizations about what is really at stake in the battle over refusal or conscience clauses in healthcare delivery. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CongressionalBriefingReveals.asp Tue, 6 Dec 2011 17:52:00 EST This World AIDS Day is marked by some bright spots of hope. According to a recent report from UNAIDS, the epidemic has leveled off, with 2.7 million people becoming newly infected every year, and almost seven million people in treatment that helps them live longer, healthier lives. The picture was very different 20 years ago, when the rate of new infections was steadily rising and many affected individuals went without treatment. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/WorldAIDSDay2011.asp Thu, 1 Dec 2011 17:52:00 EST In an open letter to President Obama published on today's New York Times op-ed page, Catholics for Choice called on President Obama to stand up for what women and men want and ensure that family planning is included on the list of essential preventive services under the Affordable Care Act. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been lobbying hard, calling for the president to include an expansive refusal clause that will ensure that millions of women and men are denied no-cost family planning coverage. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/PresidentObamaDontTurnYourBackonWomen.asp Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:52:00 EST Jon O'Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement this morning after the pope spoke about preventing the spread of HIV in Africa. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/PopesStatementonAIDSinAfricaTellsPartofStory.asp Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:52:00 EST SPRINGFIELD—Following an unprovoked attack from the Catholic Conference of Illinois on Governor Pat Quinn, Catholics for Choice has written to the governor expressing their support for his actions and thanking him for standing up to the local bishops. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/catholicspraisegovquinn.asp Tue, 8 Nov 2011 17:52:00 EST Today, Catholics for Choice president Jon O'Brien was invited to testify before the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The chairman of the Subcommittee, Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA), called the hearing to address the question, “Do New Health Law Mandates Threaten Conscience Rights and Access to Care?” Rep. Pitts was the sponsor of HR 358, a recently passed bill that gave unprecedented exemption rights to hospitals, allowing them to refuse to provide abortion care, even when necessary to save a pregnant woman's life. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsforChoiceUrgesCongress.asp Wed, 2 Nov 2011 17:52:00 EST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Mientras que una comisión parlamentaria en la Argentina se prepara para debatir la liberalización de la ley del aborto en una audiencia que se realizará el 1 de noviembre, una nueva encuesta divulgada hoy revela que la mayoría de los argentinos está a favor de los componentes de los intentos legislativos por reformar la ley del aborto. En la actualidad, si bien el aborto es legal en unas pocas circunstancias, es en gran medida imposible de conseguir para la mayoría de las mujeres. Más del 80 por ciento respalda el derecho de la mujer a acceder a atención del aborto cuando su salud esté en riesgo y/o cuando el embarazo sea resultado de una violación. Casi el 70 por ciento de los encuestados estuvo a favor de que el aborto pueda realizarse cuando el feto tenga serias anormalidades. Una de las disparidades más llamativas que la encuesta reveló fue que, si bien el aborto puede ser en la actualidad casi totalmente imposible de conseguir en la Argentina, un tercio de los argentinos conoce a alguien que se ha hecho un aborto (34 por ciento). http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/Mientrasqueloslegisladores.asp Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:52:00 EST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Mientras que una comisión parlamentaria en la Argentina se prepara para debatir la liberalización de la ley del aborto en una audiencia que se realizará el 1 de noviembre, una nueva encuesta divulgada hoy revela que la mayoría de los argentinos está a favor de los componentes de los intentos legislativos por reformar la ley del aborto. En la actualidad, si bien el aborto es legal en unas pocas circunstancias, es en gran medida imposible de conseguir para la mayoría de las mujeres. Más del 80 por ciento respalda el derecho de la mujer a acceder a atención del aborto cuando su salud esté en riesgo y/o cuando el embarazo sea resultado de una violación. Casi el 70 por ciento de los encuestados estuvo a favor de que el aborto pueda realizarse cuando el feto tenga serias anormalidades. Una de las disparidades más llamativas que la encuesta reveló fue que, si bien el aborto puede ser en la actualidad casi totalmente imposible de conseguir en la Argentina, un tercio de los argentinos conoce a alguien que se ha hecho un aborto (34 por ciento). http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/ArgentinaPoll.asp Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:52:00 EST A Congressional Subcommittee hearing today on the state of religious liberty in the US heard from Bishop William Lori, the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, who gave testimony on behalf of the bishops' conference. The bishop's testimony intimated that some Catholic teachings on religious liberty should be incorporated into American law. His proposals, however, would disproportionately benefit Catholic organizations and institutions, while trampling on the religious liberty of every citizen and having a chilling effect on the ability of Americans to receive basic preventive healthcare in publicly-funded Catholic hospitals or through their health insurance. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CongressionalHearingonReligiousLiberty.asp Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:52:00 EST Catholics today expressed anger about the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' role in promoting support for the so-called “Protect Life Act” (HR 358), a bill that will endanger women's lives across the US with an extreme ban on abortion coverage while expanding permission for health professionals to refuse to provide reproductive healthcare services, even in life-threatening situations. The US bishops have been actively lobbying policymakers and pushing conservative Catholics to do the same in an effort to see the bill passed. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/BishopsLobbyCongresstoCodifyTheirBeliefs.asp Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:52:00 EST Today the public comment period for the Department of Health and Human Service's regulations on coverage for preventive health services comes to a close. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/DecisionTimeatHHS.asp Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:52:00 EST The president of Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins, has written to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling for the refusal clause in the HHS guidelines on contraception to be widened even further to include institutions “inspired by faith.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsSupportInsuranceCoverageforFamilyPlanning.asp Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:52:00 EST Two open letters—one from Catholic theologians and another from Catholic politicians—have been submitted to Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, asking that she resist pressure from Catholic bishops and cover all women under the proposed regulations regarding preventive health services, including contraception. The 60-day comment period for the new guidelines ends on Friday. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicPoliticiansandTheologiansSpeakOutagainstBishops.asp Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:52:00 EST In an open letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Catholics for Choice, along with 15 other Catholic organizations, urged Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to uphold access to family planning by rejecting the proposed refusal clause in regulations for coverage of preventive health services under the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, the current wording of the proposed HHS guidelines “allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CathOrgsExposeWhatBishops.asp Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:52:00 EST Following recent comments regarding the Obama administration's commitment to upholding nondiscrimination laws in the work place, Catholics for Choice joined 55 other religious, civil rights, labor and health organizations and delivered a letter to President Obama demanding a clarification of his stance. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/socialjusticeleadersquestion.aspMon, 19 Sep 2011 17:52:00 EST Frank Pavone, the leader of Priests for Life, has been suspended from engaging in active ministry outside the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, as a result of concerns about financial improprieties. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FrankPavoneSuspended.asp Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:52:00 EST Catholics for Choice is dismayed to see that one of the groups at the front of the pack pressing the Virginia Board of Health to impose limiting and unjust regulations on specific health providers in the Commonwealth is the Virginia Catholic Conference. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsforChoiceurgesmembersoftheVirginiaBoardofHealthtorejectproposedabortionregulat.asp Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EST This week, The Condoms4Life Campaign brought the message that good Catholics use condoms and condoms save lives to the pilgrims of World Youth Day and the people of Madrid. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CensoredCondoms4LifeCampaignIsBeamedAroundtheWorld.asp Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EST The World Youth Day 4 All coalition welcomed the remarks from Archbishop Braulio Rodriguez of Toledo, Spain, who pointed out that the Catholic World Youth Day celebration is taking place in a country where freedom of expression is protected. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/PopeArrivesinSpain.asp Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EST Catholic World Youth Day has drawn an unusual coalition of activists to Madrid this year—young people who are thanking the pope for recognizing that condom use saves lives by preventing the transmission of HIV. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/IntlYouthCoalition.asp Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EST The Department of Health and Human Services has issued guidelines on the Institute of Medicine's call to include comprehensive family planning services as a preventive benefit for women's health under the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, the ruling “allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services.” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicLeaderCondemnsRefusalClauseHHS.asp Mon, 1 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EST WARSAW- Today progressive Catholic organizations from around the world sent a letter to the Polish Parliament urging the parliamentarians to ensure that abortion remains available to women in Poland. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/ProgressiveCatholicOrgsUrgePolishParliament.asp Mon, 1 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EST On the 43rd anniversary of Pope Paul VI's groundbreaking decision to reaffirm the Vatican's ban on contraception, a score of progressive Catholic organizations wrote to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, calling on her to “implement the coverage recommendations of the recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report which include comprehensive contraceptive methods as a preventive benefit.” http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicOrganizationsCallon.asp Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:52:00 EST Leading faith-based organizations, representing millions of individuals across the country, joined together today to applaud the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report advocating coverage without copays of the full range of contraceptive services under a provision governing women's preventive health benefits in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FaithGroupsApplaud.asp Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:52:00 EST The Institute of Medicine's call to include comprehensive family planning services as a preventive benefit for women's health under the Affordable Care Act is a step in the right direction. This means that, if the federal government agrees with the proposal, these services will be provided at no extra cost to women. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/IOMsrecommendations.asp Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:52:00 EST Publimedia, an advertising company based in Madrid, Spain, has announced that it has rejected the Condoms4Life advertisements that had been booked to run on the Madrid transport system during this year's Catholic World Youth Day. Catholics for Choice, the organization responsible for the campaign, prepared the ads to thank the pope for acknowledging that condoms save lives, as well as to raise awareness about the importance of condom usage as a means of preventing the transmission of HIV. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CensorshipRearsitsUglyHead.asp Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:52:00 EST Catholics for Choice, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, in coalition with more than a dozen faith-based organizations, will participate in a briefing today on Capitol Hill to highlight religious support for access to a comprehensive range of reproductive healthcare services. At issue are two bills that would seriously restrict women's rights to access safe and affordable abortion services in the US. The two bills, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (S. 906/H.R. 3) and the “Protect Life Act” (S. 877/H.R. 358), which have been introduced in the House and Senate by antichoice members of Congress, would directly infringe upon a woman's ability to make conscience-based decisions about the healthcare services she wishes to access. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FaithVoicesLeadBriefing.asp Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:52:00 EST In an unprecedented statement in Rome's prominent daily, Corriere della Sera, Catholics for Choice and the Condoms4Life campaign welcome attendees to Saturday's Vatican conference on HIV and AIDS with the message... http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsStandBehindPopesStatement.asp Wed, 27 May 2011 17:52:00 EST Jon O'Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the FY2011 spending bill that was passed by Congress today. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CFCStatementonFY2011BudgetDeal.asp Wed, 14 Apr 2011 17:52:00 EST In an unprecedented move, Conscience magazine asked leading authors to provide a comprehensive analysis of President Barack Obama's prochoice record. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/ConscienceObama.asp Wed, 9 May 2011 17:52:00 EST Jon O'Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the FY2011 spending bill that was passed by Congress today. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CFCStatementonFY2011BudgetDeal.asp Wed, 14 Apr 2011 17:52:00 EST Today's decision by the Maryland Health Care Commission to allow the Catholic entity, Holy Cross Hospital, to build a new facility in Montgomery County, Md., is troubling. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/holycross.asp Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:52:00 EST Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued a statement today after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sought to clarify the pope's comments on condom-use. http://catholicsforchoice.org/ThePopeDidAcknowledgethatCondomsCanHelpPreventtheSpreadofHIV.asp Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:52:00 EST Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued a statement today after Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona, declared that a local hospital could no longer describe itself as Catholic. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/ASadStateofAffairsinPhoenixArizona.asp Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:52:00 EST International development agencies in nine countries—Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America—have been asked to explain their criteria for funding HIV and AIDS assistance—and whether faith-based organizations get special concessions when they apply for public funds to deliver prevention and treatment programs abroad. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsWelcomeDecisiononAbortioninIreland.asp Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:52:00 EST International development agencies in nine countries—Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America—have been asked to explain their criteria for funding HIV and AIDS assistance—and whether faith-based organizations get special concessions when they apply for public funds to deliver prevention and treatment programs abroad. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/HIVandAIDSAdvocacyGroupsaroundtheWorldCallforMoreFundingTransparency.asp Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:52:00 EST Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement on the most recent news from the Vatican on condom use. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/PopesStatementonCondoms.asp Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:52:00 EST Catholics for Choice is delighted that the pope has acknowledged that condoms can help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. It is a marvelous victory for common sense and reason. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/PopesStatementonCondoms.asp Sun, 21 Nov 2010 12:52:00 EST Catholic organizations have written to the management company of the Empire State Building supporting its decision not to accede to the latest self-promotion campaign of Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League. Donohue wants the Empire State Building lit up in blue and white for Mother Teresa on August 26, the 100th anniversary of her birth. The Empire State Building's management declined, and Donohue began a campaign of bullying and misinformation, saying Catholics were insulted by the decision. Catholics from across the country disagree with him, and assured the building's management that Bill Donohue and the Catholic League don't speak for the majority of Catholics. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsExpressSupportforNewPlannedParenthoodClinic.asp Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:52:00 EST In a letter to the staff of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Jon O'Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, expressed sadness over a protest by the local prelate, Archbishop George Lucas, at the site of a new clinic in Omaha, Neb. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsExpressSupportforNewPlannedParenthoodClinic.asp Thu, 31 Jul 2010 12:52:00 EST A new report released on the eve of XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna calls for clarity regarding the funding and activities of faith-based organizations that are involved in HIV/AIDS work. The report, “Seeing Is Believing: Questions about Faith-Based Organizations That Are Involved in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment,” was commissioned by Catholics for Choice. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/NewReportQuestionsFundingandActivitiesofFaith-BasedHIVAIDSOrganizations.asp Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:52:00 EST Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the US Senate Committee Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that lifts the ban on access to abortion services for those served by military hospitals in the US and worldwide: “This amendment is an important step towards ensuring that all Americans have access to the comprehensive healthcare services they need. Catholics believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. This right should not be denied to active duty members of the US military services, military service retirees and their dependents. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsSupportReproductiveHealthcareServicesfortheMilitary.asp Fri, 2 Jul 2010 18:52:00 EST The recent news about a woman in Phoenix who received an abortion in a Catholic hospital has raised again the issue of Catholics, abortion and excommunication. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/DioceseofPhoenixMalignsCatholicNun.asp Thu, 20 May 2010 14:52:00 EST Bishops Are Not Leaders in Fight for Civil and Human Rights http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/BishopsAreNotLeadersinFightforCivilandHumanRights.asp Thu, 20 May 2010 12:52:00 EST Catholics Call on Pope Benedict to Reconsider Vatican's Ban on Contraceptive Pill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-obrien/the-catholic-contraceptiv_b_564065.html Wed, 5 May 2010 12:52:00 EST The Absence of Institutional Change within the Catholic Hierarchy Damages the Church http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/SexAbuseScandal.asp Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:52:00 EST Reforming the health insurance system has led to a significant tightening of restrictions on coverage for abortions. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/OneStepForwardOneStepBack.asp Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:55:00 EST Interference by the US Catholic bishops in healthcare reform does not help women," said Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. http://catholicsforchoice.org/AmericanCatholicsWantBishopsOutofHealthcareReform.asp Fri, 5 Mar 2010 10:55:00 EST Marysa Navarro-Aranguren, Chair of the Board of Catholics for Choice, welcomed the victory today for women in Spain http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/VictoryforWomeninSpainafterBattleoverNewAbortionLaw.asp Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:55:00 EST