Boko Haram, Pa Heart Beat Bill, Support Proposed Religious Freedom Reg's, Iraqi Christians, Pa Heart Beat Bill and more

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (8/25/19)

• Boko Haram ‘Seizes’ Two Nigerian Towns Weeks After Gov’t Declared Group Defeated (Breitbart, 8/22/19) 

• Please Urge Your Senator and Representative to Co-Sponsor the "Heartbeat" Anti-Abortion Bill (Pa Catholic Conference, 8/22/19) 
• "As Tennessee lawmakers debate their latest proposal to end abortion in the state, America’s most prominent 'pro-life' lobbying group is condemning the measure as 'irrational' and 'foolish.'  Like other states, Tennessee has been considering legislation to ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Earlier this summer it was amended into an even bolder proposal: banning virtually all abortions by defining 'viability' to mean 'that a male human sperm has penetrated the zona pellucida of the female ovum, which includes, but is not limited to, serial human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) determinations or the detection of a heartbeat in an unborn child'....during packed legislative hearings earlier this month, National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) general counsel James Bopp testified against the bill....NRLC has faced criticism in the past for allegedly putting the priorities of the Republican establishment ahead of the pro-life cause, from opposing federal heartbeat legislation and putting its weight behind policies unrelated to abortion, to pressuring lawmakers and affiliates to support rape and incest exceptions, and even pro-abortion Republicans such as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)" (LifeSiteNews, 8/19/19).

• Free to Serve (USCCB, 8/22/19)

• As per an 8/20/19 email from the Family Policy Alliance:
  "President Trump’s Department of Labor has proposed a new federal rule that would protect an important aspect of religious freedom. But the rule is not yet finalized and needs public support to be implemented.  Under the rule, faith-based organizations that contract with the federal government to provide services would be able to 'make employment decisions consistent with their sincerely held religious tenets and beliefs without fear of sanction by the federal government'.... Public comments are a critical part of the federal regulatory process, as every proposed rule must have a 30-day window for the public to express support, opposition, concerns or suggestions....While simply indicating your support of the proposed rule is just fine, you may wish to add additional comments. Consider the following to draw from or adapt:
  
  "Many faith-based organizations provide valuable services to assist the homeless, the hungry, victims of sexual abuse, and more. These faith-based services are valuable to the government because they are effective and because, by contracting out rather than expanding the government bureaucracy, they save taxpayer dollars. Forcing religious organizations to hire people who disagree with the tenets of their faith would undermine the service and, in many cases, force the faith-based organization to withdraw from providing such services. This proposed rule protects the ability of religious organizations to continue providing their valuable aid to people in need.
  "Thank you for making your voice heard [Click here.] in support of religious freedom!"

• Iraqi Christians Still Need Our Support (Catholic Exchange, 8/19/19)
  "about 250,000 remain in Iraq, down from 1.5 million in 2003....For the moment, they are safe, but Sunni Muslims and Iran-backed militias have designs on their land and property....Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Kurdistan stressed that 'Christianity in Iraq is perilously close to extinction'"

National Concerns

• As per an 8/20/19 email from the Family Policy Alliance: "President Trump’s Department of Labor has proposed a new federal rule that would protect an important aspect of religious freedom....While simply indicating your support of the proposed rule is just fine, you may wish to add additional comments....Thank you for making your voice heard [Click here.] in support of religious freedom!"
• Submit Your Official Comment to Say: Pro-Life Health Workers Must Not Be Forced to Assist With Abortions (Susan B Anthony List)
• Oppose the Misleadingly named Do No Harm Act (cf, American Life League)
• Oppose the Misnamed Equality Act (Human Life Action)
• Support the Heartbeat Bill, HR 3985 (cf, LifeSite)
• Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (cf, USCCB)
• Born-Alive Legislation Deserves a Vote in the People's House (USCCB) 
• Contact your U.S. senators and representatives today and ask them to support the LIFT for Charities Act! (USCCB)
• Support the Equal Campus Access Act, HR3243/S1168 (USCCB)

Commonwealth of Pa

(Pa Catholic Conference Legislative Review and Voter Voice)

• Please Urge Your Senator and Representative to Co-Sponsor the "Heartbeat" Anti-Abortion Bill (Pa Catholic Conference) 
• Please contact your Rep, Senator, and the Governor to ask for a religious exemption for Catholic adoptions (Pa Catholic Conference)
• (See also the Pa Family Council link.)
• Call for Funding Increase for Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) (Pa Catholic Conference) 

The Garden State

• Support the NJ Born Alive Survivors Protection Act A5287/S3905 (NJRTL)
• Vote No on A5508/ S3804 (NJ Catholic Conf)
• Support the NJ Pain Capable Unborn child Protection Act, A 1686/S537 (http://protectviablebabies.com/take-action/)

On the right side of the home page, you will find links to email Church leadership about "Catholic" health care, Bucks country representation in DC, Bucks County representation in Harrisburg, Central NJ representation in DC and Central NJ in Trenton.