Physician-assisted suicide bill moves through committee; CCC testifies at death penalty hearing; the Supreme Court upholds religious freedom, and Santa Clara University releases informational video on the COVID-19 vaccines in this week’s Insights.
SB 380 Moves Out of Committee
Despite the large number of those who wrote to their lawmakers, the State Assembly Health Committee voted to pass SB 380, the bill intended to remove “safeguards” from the physician-assisted suicide law passed in 2015. Thank you to those who took the time to communicate their concerns to their legislators.
This battle is far from over, and it’s clear we need every voice to help defeat this bill. Please continue to look out for alerts and other ways to help as SB 380 heads to the Assembly Judiciary Committee on July 6. In the meantime, visit NoOn380.com for more information. And you can continue to send an email to your Assembly Member urging him or her to vote against this anti-life bill by clicking here.
CCC Testifies at Death Penalty Committee Hearing
This week, representatives from the California Catholic Conference testified at a hearing of the Committee on the Revision of the Penal Code, supporting the Committee’s May 2021 recommendation that the death penalty be abolished.
“As the official public policy office for the Catholic Church in California, we support the committee’s recommendations to abolish the death penalty and reduce the size of death row because we believe in upholding the sacred dignity of every person,” said Maria Jose Flores, Legislative Advocate for Reverence for Life, Family Life and Immigration, during the public comment period. “The death penalty is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. We believe that a just and necessary punishment shouldn’t exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.”
Following the comments, the Chair of the Committee, Michael Romano, thanked the “Catholic community that has been so strong on this and played a big role.”
This Committee is charged with studying statutory reforms to the California Penal Code and making recommendations to lawmakers. The Committee voted and adopted the report of recommendations, and will present them to the legislature and the Governor in the fall. Note that the Legislature does not have the authority to repeal the death penalty, but they can pass legislation to advance reforms to facilitate removing individuals from death row.
Click here to learn more about the Committee’s recommendations.
Supreme Court Upholds Religious Freedom
During this week’s celebration of Religious Freedom Week, the USCCB released a statement applauding the Supreme Court’s decision this week in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia in favor of Catholic Social Services and its decision to refrain from offering adoption services to same-sex couples.
“Americans have long been a tolerant people who respect each other’s deepest differences. Yesterday, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld that tradition, reinvigorating the First Amendment’s promise that religious believers can bring the full vitality of their faith to their charitable service and to the public square. This is a victory for the common good and for thousands of children who rely on religious foster care and adoption agencies to find a loving home with a mother and father, which is their right.
Read more here.
COVID-19 Vaccine Information Available from Santa Clara University
It turns out that the distance between Covid vaccines in a vial and a person’s arm can be longer than we thought. This collaboration between the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County is an effort to close that distance through a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Through this project, Catholic Charities is expanding its already significant efforts to provide vaccinations in marginalized communities around the near and far reaches of Santa Clara County, and to support their effort, Catholic Charities, the California Catholic Conference, and the Ethics Center created the following media materials to support practitioners, nonprofit organizations, parish staff, social action directors, and school personnel as they encourage vaccination and address misinformation within their communities.
The key materials for distribution (PSA videos and a Get Vaccinated flyer are provided below in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Mandarin). The message we send throughout this collaboration is “Love your neighbor and get vaccinated.” In doing so, you protect yourself, your family and friends, and your community.
Find the material here.
The USCCB also released a statement this week, praising the Biden administration’s decision to 500 million COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries.
In the News
Californians Must Release Rent Funds, Stop Evicting Tenants
While hope is in the air for many Californians celebrating a shift back into “normal life” after 14 months of pandemic living, many of our parishioners and neighbors in Santa Clara County are buried beneath mounting debt due to lost wages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teaching Document on Eucharist Planned for November
Since the conclusion of the Spring Plenary Assembly of the U.S. bishops last week, there has been much attention on the vote taken to draft a document on the Eucharist. The question of whether or not to deny any individual or groups Holy Communion was not on the ballot. The vote by the bishops last week tasked the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine to begin the drafting of a teaching document on the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. The importance of nurturing an ever deeper understanding of the beauty and mystery of the Eucharist in our lives is not a new topic for the bishops. The document being drafted is not meant to be disciplinary in nature, nor is it targeted at any one individual or class of persons. It will include a section on the Church’s teaching on the responsibility of every Catholic, including bishops, to live in accordance with the truth, goodness and beauty of the Eucharist we celebrate. Read more here.
“Christ is alive and desires that each of you live. He is the true beauty and youth of this world. Everything he touches becomes young, becomes new, full of life and meaning.”
@Pontifex
June 25, 2021
Vol. 14, No. 24