Latest news from CFC feed://www.catholicsforchoice.org/feed.xml Catholics today expressed anger about the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ role in promoting support for the so-called “Protect Life Act” (HR 358), a bill that will endanger women’s lives across the US with an extreme ban on abortion coverage while expanding permission for health professionals to refuse to provide reproductive healthcare services, even in life-threatening situations. The US bishops have been actively lobbying policymakers and pushing conservative Catholics to do the same in an effort to see the bill passed. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/BishopsLobbyCongresstoCodifyTheirBeliefs.asp Thursday, 13 October 2011 17:528:00 EST Today the public comment period for the Department of Health and Human Service’s regulations on coverage for preventive health services comes to a close. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/DecisionTimeatHHS.asp Friday, 30 September 2011 17:528:00 EST The president of Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins, has written to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling for the refusal clause in the HHS guidelines on contraception to be widened even further to include institutions “inspired by faith.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsSupportInsuranceCoverageforFamilyPlanning.asp Thursday, 29 September 2011 17:528:00 EST Two open letters—one from Catholic theologians and another from Catholic politicians—have been submitted to Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, asking that she resist pressure from Catholic bishops and cover all women under the proposed regulations regarding preventive health services, including contraception. The 60-day comment period for the new guidelines ends on Friday. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicPoliticiansandTheologiansSpeakOutagainstBishops.asp Wednesday, 28 September 2011 17:528:00 EST In an open letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Catholics for Choice, along with 15 other Catholic organizations, urged Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to uphold access to family planning by rejecting the proposed refusal clause in regulations for coverage of preventive health services under the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, the current wording of the proposed HHS guidelines “allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CathOrgsExposeWhatBishops.asp Monday, 26 September 2011 17:528:00 EST Following recent comments regarding the Obama administration’s commitment to upholding nondiscrimination laws in the work place, Catholics for Choice joined 55 other religious, civil rights, labor and health organizations and delivered a letter to President Obama demanding a clarification of his stance. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/socialjusticeleadersquestion.aspMonday, 19 September 2011 17:528:00 EST Frank Pavone, the leader of Priests for Life, has been suspended from engaging in active ministry outside the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, as a result of concerns about financial improprieties. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FrankPavoneSuspended.asp Tuesday, 13 September 2011 17:528:00 EST Catholics for Choice is dismayed to see that one of the groups at the front of the pack pressing the Virginia Board of Health to impose limiting and unjust regulations on specific health providers in the Commonwealth is the Virginia Catholic Conference. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsforChoiceurgesmembersoftheVirginiaBoardofHealthtorejectproposedabortionregulat.asp Wednesday, 31 August 2011 17:528:00 EST This week, The Condoms4Life Campaign brought the message that good Catholics use condoms and condoms save lives to the pilgrims of World Youth Day and the people of Madrid. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CensoredCondoms4LifeCampaignIsBeamedAroundtheWorld.asp Sunday, 21 August 2011 17:528:00 EST The World Youth Day 4 All coalition welcomed the remarks from Archbishop Braulio Rodriguez of Toledo, Spain, who pointed out that the Catholic World Youth Day celebration is taking place in a country where freedom of expression is protected. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/PopeArrivesinSpain.asp Thursday, 18 August 2011 17:528:00 EST Catholic World Youth Day has drawn an unusual coalition of activists to Madrid this year—young people who are thanking the pope for recognizing that condom use saves lives by preventing the transmission of HIV. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/IntlYouthCoalition.asp Tuesday, 16 August 2011 17:528:00 EST The Department of Health and Human Services has issued guidelines on the Institute of Medicine’s call to include comprehensive family planning services as a preventive benefit for women’s health under the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, the ruling “allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services.” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicLeaderCondemnsRefusalClauseHHS.asp Monday, 1 August 2011 17:528:00 EST WARSAW- Today progressive Catholic organizations from around the world sent a letter to the Polish Parliament urging the parliamentarians to ensure that abortion remains available to women in Poland. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/ProgressiveCatholicOrgsUrgePolishParliament.asp Monday, 1 August 2011 17:528:00 EST On the 43rd anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s groundbreaking decision to reaffirm the Vatican’s ban on contraception, a score of progressive Catholic organizations wrote to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, calling on her to “implement the coverage recommendations of the recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report which include comprehensive contraceptive methods as a preventive benefit.” http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicOrganizationsCallon.asp Tuesday, 26 July 2011 17:528:00 EST Leading faith-based organizations, representing millions of individuals across the country, joined together today to applaud the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report advocating coverage without copays of the full range of contraceptive services under a provision governing women’s preventive health benefits in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FaithGroupsApplaud.asp Friday, 22 July 2011 17:528:00 EST The Institute of Medicine’s call to include comprehensive family planning services as a preventive benefit for women’s health under the Affordable Care Act is a step in the right direction. This means that, if the federal government agrees with the proposal, these services will be provided at no extra cost to women. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/IOMsrecommendations.asp Wednesday, 20 July 2011 17:528:00 EST Publimedia, an advertising company based in Madrid, Spain, has announced that it has rejected the Condoms4Life advertisements that had been booked to run on the Madrid transport system during this year’s Catholic World Youth Day. Catholics for Choice, the organization responsible for the campaign, prepared the ads to thank the pope for acknowledging that condoms save lives, as well as to raise awareness about the importance of condom usage as a means of preventing the transmission of HIV. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CensorshipRearsitsUglyHead.asp Tuesday, 12 July 2011 17:528:00 EST Catholics for Choice, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, in coalition with more than a dozen faith-based organizations, will participate in a briefing today on Capitol Hill to highlight religious support for access to a comprehensive range of reproductive healthcare services. At issue are two bills that would seriously restrict women’s rights to access safe and affordable abortion services in the US. The two bills, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (S. 906/H.R. 3) and the “Protect Life Act” (S. 877/H.R. 358), which have been introduced in the House and Senate by antichoice members of Congress, would directly infringe upon a woman’s ability to make conscience-based decisions about the healthcare services she wishes to access. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FaithVoicesLeadBriefing.asp Thursday, 30 June 2011 17:528:00 EST In an unprecedented statement in Rome’s prominent daily, Corriere della Sera, Catholics for Choice and the Condoms4Life campaign welcome attendees to Saturday’s Vatican conference on HIV and AIDS with the message... http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsStandBehindPopesStatement.asp Wednesday, 27 May 2011 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the FY2011 spending bill that was passed by Congress today. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CFCStatementonFY2011BudgetDeal.asp Wednesday, 14 April 2011 17:528:00 EST In an unprecedented move, Conscience magazine asked leading authors to provide a comprehensive analysis of President Barack Obama’s prochoice record. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/ConscienceObama.asp Wednesday, 9 May 2011 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the FY2011 spending bill that was passed by Congress today. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CFCStatementonFY2011BudgetDeal.asp Wednesday, 14 April 2011 17:528:00 EST Today’s decision by the Maryland Health Care Commission to allow the Catholic entity, Holy Cross Hospital, to build a new facility in Montgomery County, Md., is troubling. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/holycross.asp Thursday, 20 January 2011 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued a statement today after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sought to clarify the pope’s comments on condom-use. http://catholicsforchoice.org/ThePopeDidAcknowledgethatCondomsCanHelpPreventtheSpreadofHIV.asp Tuesday, 21 December 2010 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued a statement today after Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona, declared that a local hospital could no longer describe itself as Catholic. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/ASadStateofAffairsinPhoenixArizona.asp Tuesday, 21 December 2010 15:528:00 EST International development agencies in nine countries—Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America—have been asked to explain their criteria for funding HIV and AIDS assistance—and whether faith-based organizations get special concessions when they apply for public funds to deliver prevention and treatment programs abroad. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsWelcomeDecisiononAbortioninIreland.asp Thursday, 16 December 2010 12:528:00 EST International development agencies in nine countries—Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America—have been asked to explain their criteria for funding HIV and AIDS assistance—and whether faith-based organizations get special concessions when they apply for public funds to deliver prevention and treatment programs abroad. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/HIVandAIDSAdvocacyGroupsaroundtheWorldCallforMoreFundingTransparency.asp Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement on the most recent news from the Vatican on condom use. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/PopesStatementonCondoms.asp Tuesday, 23 November 2010 12:528:00 EST Catholics for Choice is delighted that the pope has acknowledged that condoms can help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. It is a marvelous victory for common sense and reason. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/PopesStatementonCondoms.asp Sunday, 21 November 2010 12:528:00 EST Catholic organizations have written to the management company of the Empire State Building supporting its decision not to accede to the latest self-promotion campaign of Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League. Donohue wants the Empire State Building lit up in blue and white for Mother Teresa on August 26, the 100th anniversary of her birth. The Empire State Building’s management declined, and Donohue began a campaign of bullying and misinformation, saying Catholics were insulted by the decision. Catholics from across the country disagree with him, and assured the building’s management that Bill Donohue and the Catholic League don’t speak for the majority of Catholics. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsExpressSupportforNewPlannedParenthoodClinic.asp Thursday, 19 August 2010 12:528:00 EST In a letter to the staff of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Jon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, expressed sadness over a protest by the local prelate, Archbishop George Lucas, at the site of a new clinic in Omaha, Neb. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsExpressSupportforNewPlannedParenthoodClinic.asp Thursday, 31 July 2010 12:528:00 EST A new report released on the eve of XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna calls for clarity regarding the funding and activities of faith-based organizations that are involved in HIV/AIDS work. The report, “Seeing Is Believing: Questions about Faith-Based Organizations That Are Involved in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment,” was commissioned by Catholics for Choice. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/NewReportQuestionsFundingandActivitiesofFaith-BasedHIVAIDSOrganizations.asp Thursday, 15 July 2010 12:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the US Senate Committee Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that lifts the ban on access to abortion services for those served by military hospitals in the US and worldwide: “This amendment is an important step towards ensuring that all Americans have access to the comprehensive healthcare services they need. Catholics believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. This right should not be denied to active duty members of the US military services, military service retirees and their dependents. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsSupportReproductiveHealthcareServicesfortheMilitary.asp Friday, 2 July 2010 18:528:00 EST The recent news about a woman in Phoenix who received an abortion in a Catholic hospital has raised again the issue of Catholics, abortion and excommunication. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/DioceseofPhoenixMalignsCatholicNun.asp Thursday, 20 May 2010 14:528:00 EST Bishops Are Not Leaders in Fight for Civil and Human Rights http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/BishopsAreNotLeadersinFightforCivilandHumanRights.asp Thursday, 20 May 2010 12:528:00 EST Catholics Call on Pope Benedict to Reconsider Vatican's Ban on Contraceptive Pill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-obrien/the-catholic-contraceptiv_b_564065.html Wednesday, 5 May 2010 12:528:00 EST The Absence of Institutional Change within the Catholic Hierarchy Damages the Church http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/SexAbuseScandal.asp Monday, 29 March 2010 16:528:00 EST Reforming the health insurance system has led to a significant tightening of restrictions on coverage for abortions. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/OneStepForwardOneStepBack.asp Sunday, 21 March 2010 22:55:00 EST Interference by the US Catholic bishops in healthcare reform does not help women," said Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. http://catholicsforchoice.org/AmericanCatholicsWantBishopsOutofHealthcareReform.asp Friday, 5 March 2010 10:55:00 EST Marysa Navarro-Aranguren, Chair of the Board of Catholics for Choice, welcomed the victory today for women in Spain http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/VictoryforWomeninSpainafterBattleoverNewAbortionLaw.asp Wednesday, 24 February 2010 10:55:00 EST