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Cardinal Dolan Calls for Prayers for Victims
of Boston Marathon Bombings
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement after the bombings at the Boston Marathon, April 15:
"The tragic end to the Boston Marathon on April 15 reminds us all that evil exists and that life is fragile. The deaths and injuries of people gathered for the celebration on Patriots Day in Boston calls on all of us to pray for the souls of those killed, the healing of those injured, and the restoration of peace for all of us unsettled by the bombings at a world-renowned sporting event. Our special prayers are with the Archdiocese of Boston and the people there who are working in the aftermath of this crisis to address those wounded in so many ways by these events. The growing culture of violence in our world and even in our country calls for both wise security measures by government officials and an examination by all of us to see what we can personally do to enhance peace and respect for one another in our world."
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Telemedicine Abortion Ban Passed by Missouri House
The Missouri House of Representatives has given final approval to a bill that would ban telemedicine abortions from being performed in Missouri. HB 400, sponsored by Representative Jeannie Riddle (R-Mokane), would require a physician to be present when a patient is administered RU-486, the abortion drug used to end a pregnancy up to nine weeks of gestation. By requiring the physician to be present, the bill would effectively prevent any abortion provider from setting up remote clinics to perform abortions via web-cam technology. The bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration. |
Conscience Protection Bill Moves Forward
This week the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a House bill that provides conscience protections for healthcare providers. HB 457, sponsored by House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka), would allow healthcare workers to opt out of performing abortion, sterilization, contraception and assisted reproduction procedures, as well as allow medical researchers to opt out of engaging in research that involves the use of embryonic stem cells. The bill now moves to the Senate floor where it will be debated by the entire Senate.
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Our Lady's Inn Seeks to Intervene
in Defense of Religious Liberty Law
Our Lady's Inn, a maternity home in St. Louis,is seeking to intervene in the lawsuit challenging SB 749, the religious liberty law passed by the Missouri General Assembly last fall.
In its motion to intervene, Our Lady's Inn indicates that its conscience rights and the conscience rights of its employees are being violated because they are being forced to pay for abortion drugs, sterilizations, and contraceptives despite their religious and moral objections.
Our Lady's Inn sought to intervene in the lawsuit in February, but was denied. The maternity home is being represented by Attorney Tim Belz, an attorney from St. Louis who is nationally known for his experience in religious liberty litigation.
As we reported last week, Attorney General Chris Koster has refused to appeal the ruling striking down the religious liberty law.
Stay tuned for more!
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Medicaid Expansion Declared Dead for Session
Around 1500 people came to the Capitol Tuesday to urge legislators to expand Medicaid, but the issue is dead for the session declared the House sponsor of HCS HB 700. State Representative Jay Barnes (R-Jefferson City) has tried for months to convince his colleagues in both the House and Senate that Medicaid could be reformed and expanded at the same time, but the Missouri Senate has shown little interest in his proposal.
The Senate prefers to form an interim committee and study the issue before possibly expanding a reformed Medicaid next year. The delay will mean Missouri loses millions of dollars in federal funds and that thousands of the working poor in Missouri will continue without health coverage.
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Education Tax Deduction Touted
The Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) this week testified in support of HB 736, a bill that would allow K-12 public and private school parents to claim a tax deduction for their children's schooling expenses. Mike Hoey, the MCC's executive director, urged the House Ways and Means Committee to get serious about helping school parents, noting that if the legislature could find revenue to cut taxes on corporations, then surely some tax relief could be offered to parents who sacrifice so much to give their children a quality education. HB 736 is sponsored by State Representative Dwight Scharnhorst (R-High Ridge). The committee took no action on the bill. To read the MCC testimony, click here. |
What Private School Parents Save Taxpayers
In its testimony on behalf of HB 736, the MCC said that: "Private school parents save taxpayers huge sums of money each year." The average annual cost of educating a child in the public schools is $9,812.66. If you multiply that figure by the 81,196 private school students, these parents save taxpayers over $796.7 million annually.
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House Votes Down Food Stamp Eligibility
for Ex-Drug Offenders
Missouri is only one of nine states that still denies food stamp benefits to former drug offenders. All other ex-felons are eligible for food stamps in Missouri. The MCC has urged legislators to treat the ex-drug offenders in the same manner as other ex-offenders, pointing out that allowing these offenders to recieve food stamps can help in their successfully rejoining society, etc.
However, the Missouri House of Representatives obviously sees things differently. This week the body voted down an amendment that would have allowed the ex-drug offenders to receive food stamps.
The amendment was offered by Representative Mike Colona (D-St. Louis) to HB 455, a bill that would require the use of photo identification for continued eligibility in the food stamp program. The Colona amendment was defeated: 57 representatives voted for the amendment to 92 against.
If you do not who your legislator is, click here.
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