Reverence for Life
We hold life sacred from conception to natural death. We support policies and services that assist pregnant women to make life-affirming choices.
Abortion Expansion Bill Defeated in Committee
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| SB 1338 Withdrawn from Committee |
In a twice-postponed hearing before the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, the bill’s author Senator Christine Kehoe finally presented a scaled-down version of the bill. Nevertheless, even in its amended version, SB 1338 failed 4 to 4.
Voting “NO” were Senators Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), Mark Wyland (R-Escondido) and Bill Emmerson (R-Riverside). In favor were Senators Curren Price (D-Los Angeles), Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), Ed Hernandez (D- Los Angeles) and Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Chino). Senator Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) was absent.
US Bishops Issue Strong Call to Action for Religious Liberty
On April 12, 2012, the U.S. bishops issued a strong call to action to defend religious liberty and urged laity to work to protect the First Freedom of the Bill of Rights. They outlined their position in “Our First, Most Cherished Freedom.” Read the entire document here. (En Español.)“We have been staunch defenders of religious liberty in the past. We have a solemn duty to discharge that duty today,” the bishops said in the document, “… for religious liberty is under attack, both at home and abroad.”
The bishops call for “A Fortnight for Freedom,” the two-week period from June 21 to July 4—beginning with the feasts of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher and ending with Independence Day—to focus “all the energies the Catholic community can muster” for religious liberty. It is to be a special period of prayer, study, catechesis, public action and special events.
The newest statement from the California Catholic Conference is 
Catholic social teaching brings the Gospel message to the issues of our modern world. It is summarized here with 
Every four years the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) encourages us to examine our call to be engaged in public policy decisions. Catholics generally take their participation in their communities seriously, but have become just as susceptible to the 30-second sound bite and fear-inducing pundits as the next person.
