Failure to defend marriage/family is failure to be truly "pro life."
Thursday will mark the first March for Life, since Pennsylvania's surrender on the
civil definition of "marriage" - a surrender on the recognition of a child's right to a mom and a dad, joined to each other in an exclusive, lifelong commitment. There can be no doubt that de facto
acceptance of contraception, divorce/remarriage, and cohabitation set
the table for this assault on genuine marriage/family. This is certainly not an issue on which anyone who considers himself "pro life" can turn his back. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops tells us that
"No religious exemption- no matter how broadly worded- can justify a supportive or neutral position on the redefinition of marriage (see CDF, 1992, no. 16). Such 'redefinition' is always fundamentally unjust, and indeed, religious exemptions may even facilitate the passage of such unjust laws. Protecting marriage protects religious liberty; the two are inseparable."In the 113th Congress - other than from Representatives Mike Kelly, Joe Pitts, Keith Rothfus, and Bill Shuster - the response to USCCB-backed legislation for defending marriage/family (i.e., HJ Res 51, HR 3133, HR 3829, and HR 5285) from Pa's delegation in D.C. was abysmal - even from those who consider themselves "pro-life." (See "report card."). We need to shout from the rooftops what our Church proclaims:
- Each and every human being is owed uncompromising respect from its very first moment of fertilization until natural death, AND
- Each and every human being has the right to originate in the loving embrace of a mom and dad, who are wife and husband....
- But no matter how a new human life came to be, that new human life is owed uncompromising respect from its very first moment, because she or he is made in the image of God.
"The angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which threatened Jesus and Mary, forcing them to flee to Egypt and then to settle in Nazareth. So too, in our time, God calls upon us to recognize the dangers threatening our own families and to protect them from harm. Be attentive, be attentive with the new ideological colonization....
"While all too many people live in dire poverty, others are caught up in materialism and lifestyles which are destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian morality. This is the ideological colonization. The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life....
"Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death" (Pope Francis' Address at Meeting of Families in Manila, 1/16/15).
And in Harrisburg....
As per the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference,"Legislative proposals like this one are attempts to eliminate and marginalize institutional and individual religious or moral objection to the sexual conduct of others. In other states, this law has shuttered Catholic adoption agencies and trampled religious liberty. HB 300/SB 300 could mean that Catholic agencies would no longer be able to make contributions to the common good of Pennsylvania without violating our religious beliefs....Simply put, this legislation is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith."In spite of those words, half of Bucks County's state senators and most of Bucks County's state representatives were co-sponsors of HB 300 / SB 300! Adding insult to injury, all but one of those co-sponsors is Catholic and/or a product of Catholic education!
- Democratic Representative Tina Davis (Cardinal Dougherty alumnus, LaSalle University alumnus)
- Democratic Representative John Galloway (Catholic, AOH member)
- Republican Representative Scott Petri (Villanova alumnus)
- Republican Representative Marguerite Quinn (Archbishop Wood alumnus, St. Joseph alumnus)
- Democratic Representative Steve Santarsiero (Holy Family alumnus)
- Republican Representative Kathy Watson (Villanova alumnus)
- Republican Senator Chuck McIlhinney (Catholic, AOH member)
- Republican Senator Tommy Tomlinson
KUDOS TO STATE REPRESENTATIVE GENE DiGIROLAMO (OUR NEXT REPRESENTATIVE IN THE U.S. HOUSE?) FOR NOT BEING ON THE ABOVE LIST!
As per the Pennsylvania Family Institute's action alert,
"Controversial legislation is about to be reintroduced by Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Pittsburgh) which would grant special status on the basis of sexual orientation and 'gender identity.' This exact type of law in other states resulted in:
"Encourage your representative and senator to stand strong for religious freedom and oppose HB / SB 300."
- Small businesses have been fined and forced to close.
- Men have been permitted to use women’s restrooms and locker rooms.
- Religious organizations have been forced to stop assisting with adoptions.
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