Faithful Citizenship in Pa's 1st Congressional District and the Central Garden State

June 2018   June 2018   Continuing the U.S. Bishops' work of promoting and defending marriage. Visit our Website   50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae   2018 is the 50th Anniversary of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life). The USCCB has published a 50th Anniversary edition of the encyclical by soon-to-be-Saint Pope Paul VI. And the Natural Family Planning Office has a website dedicated to the anniversary and the various celebrations and conferences surrounding it. In addition, bishops in the U.S. are preaching on the anniversary and/or sharing little snippets about them at our #HV50 YouTube page.   Made for Love Podcast   In May, "Made for Love" featured six bishops telling stories about their moms an for Mother's Day (Bishops Have Moms, Too) and Bishop Paprocki and others talking about Sports and Family life. There are extra features to the show notes on the blog, including clips from MUR videos and interviews. In June, Love from Dad and Priests have Families, too! If you listen through iTunes (USCCB Clips), it would help a lot if you would leave a review! And we are also now on podbean.   Keep Kids First: Faith-Based Adoption and Foster Care   The USCCB supports the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act, which would ensure that faith-based adoption and/or foster care agencies will not be discriminated against based on their conviction that children ought to be placed in homes with a married mother and a father. Recent state battles, in Kansas and Oklahoma, have highlighted the need for federal protection in this area. The Chairmen of the USCCB's Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Religious Liberty, and the Promotion and Defense of Marriage urged this legislation in a letter with ecumenical and interfaith partners, then issued a joint statement on the passage of these state bills.   Love and Sexuality pages   The love and sexuality pages of the USCCB website have been updated extensively to more fully reflect the anthropological and ethical considerations involved in human love.   Legal Updates   Wisconsin On April 30, 2018, two Wisconsin residents who identify as “transgender” sued the state for not covering “sex reassignment surgery” in their Medicaid program. California In April, 2018, the state of California sued El Cajon gym and one of its owners for refusing (for a time) access to the women’s locker room to a “transgender” member. The gym eventually allowed access, but the lawsuit is moving forward. New Hampshire On May 2, 2018, New Hampshire passed HB 1319, that specifies that a “transgender” person may not be discriminated against in employment, housing, or public spaces. New Hampshire becomes the 19th state with this explicit protection for gender identity. Governor Sununu is expected to sign the bill into law very soon.  Kansas and Oklahoma As noted above, both states passed laws that protect faith-based adoption and foster care agencies who place children in homes with both a mother and a father. Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) On May 16, 2018 in a lawsuit called Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, foster parents and Catholic Social Services asked a Pennsylvania federal court to end a new city policy by the City of Philadelphia that excludes certain foster care agencies with religious beliefs about the placement of children. The City suspended the contracts of Catholic Social Services (as well as Bethany Christian Services) to place children in foster homes, a decision the City is threatening to make permanent on June 30, 2018. Notably, i In March 2018, the City of Philadelphia issued an urgent call for 300 new foster parents to provide homes for some of the over 6,000 kids in Philadelphia foster care.   Made for Love | USCCB | (202) 541-3000 | defenseofmarriage@usccb.org| www.marriageuniqueforareason.org   STAY CONNECTED ‌ ‌ ‌