California’s
first permanent settlements were established by Catholic missionaries, and today
nearly a third of the state is Catholic, but an increasing number of its laws
are hostile to families and opposed to Catholic morality, according to Los
Angeles Archbishop José Gomez and his brother bishops in California. The
archbishop made national news in July when, in his archdiocesan newspaper,
The Tidings, he specifically pointed to two
such state laws. The first, which was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown,
requires the state’s history textbooks to stress the contributions of
homosexuals. The other permits children to have vaccinations for sexually
transmitted diseases without informing their parents.
Archbishop
Gomez commented, “There was a time, not too long ago, when American society
encouraged family values and tried to strengthen the bonds of parents and
children. Recent events in our state and nation remind us that’s not always the
case anymore.”
While
Catholic schools are free not to use history textbooks used by public schools,
they often use the books so as to prepare their students for material used on
standardized state tests. Lobbyists for the California Catholic Conference argued
that it is not the legislators’ job to decide what material is to be included
in history textbooks, and furthermore, that texts should focus on the accomplishments
of historic figures, not their association with a particular group.
“But
on this and many other issues we’re not getting a receptive ear,” complained Carol
Hogan, the Conference’s director of communications. “Our California legislature
is dominated by liberals who have bought into the gay agenda.”
Support
for the gay agenda led (at least nominally Catholic) former California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign a 2009 law setting aside a day to commemorate
Harvey Milk, a homosexual San Francisco politician who was murdered in 1978.
Milk is one of only two such Californians to receive the honor. (While Milk’s
time in public office was short—11 months—he was long involved in the gay
subculture. He had a series of young male lovers; one, Jack Galen McKinley, was
only 16 when their relationship began. Milk, at the time, was 33.)
Equality
California (a gay-rights lobbying group) and the National Center for Lesbian
Rights also succeeded this year in getting both houses of the California legislature
to pass by large margins AB 1349, a measure which seeks to redefine fatherhood
in a way that favors same-sex couples caring for children. AB 1349 allows the
unmarried mother of a child to reject a biological father’s voluntary
acknowledgement of paternity and allow a court to award paternity rights to an
ex-lesbian partner. California’s Catholic bishops opposed the measure.
Bill
May, chairman of the lay apostolate Catholics for the Common Good, lamented
that AB 1349 was an attempt to “redefine fatherhood for children born to
unmarried mothers.” He said it “undermines the rights of fathers and the
internationally recognized right of every child to know and, as far as
possible, be cared for by his or her biological mother and father.”
Regarding
STD vaccinations, Carol Hogan says the bishops believe that allowing children
to get them without parental consent violates parents’ rights. But many
legislators instead “believe that it’s a jungle out there, families are
dysfunctional, and it’s up to them to step up and protect children.”
Many
of the same legislators believe that protecting children justifies the state
policy of allowing minors to obtain birth control and have abortions without
parental consent. The STD vaccination bill has stalled in the legislature (as
of this writing), but not due to moral concerns. Cash-strapped California is
trying to figure how it can afford to fund the vaccinations, which could cost up
to $500 per child.
Hogan
said that California legislation was increasingly being decided on the “far-out
fringes,” with outcomes eventually decided in the courts. The state
legislature, for example, is increasingly allowing individuals to decide for
themselves what their gender is (rather than relying on biology to make that
determination). On May 16, the California state assembly passed AB 887, which
would allow cross-dressing employees to wear whatever they want to work,
despite workplace dress codes. The bill is currently under consideration by the
state Senate.
When
the California Catholic Conference approaches legislators to present the
bishops’ viewpoint, it is given a respectful hearing, but even Catholic
legislators “feel free to disagree,” explains Hogan. Many California Catholics
are poorly catechized, she continued, and unlike elsewhere in the country,
“wearing a Roman collar to lobby in the capital doesn’t offer an advantage.”
Additionally,
the state government is dominated by Democrats, none of whom are pro-life and
many of whom are hostile to other Church teachings, including the sanctity of
marriage. The bishops celebrated a major victory with the passage of
Proposition 8 in 2008, which defined marriage as being between a man and a
woman. The state courts have decided the measure is constitutional, but it
could eventually be overturned in the federal courts.
Nonetheless,
Oakland Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, chairman of the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, was
encouraged: “[Proposition 8’s passage] tells me that there is something in
people’s hearts that makes them realize that supporting marriage is not discriminating
against anyone, it’s not something that’s hateful, and it’s not something
that’s bigoted,” he said. “Marriage is something that benefits everyone in
society, whether you’re married or not.”
Hogan
urged Catholics to be informed about legislative initiatives; the California
Catholic Conference offers free email updates on issues of importance to the
bishops at its website, www.cacatholic.org.
FOSTER CARE IN
ILLINOIS
In
Illinois, the Department of Children and Family Services has told the state’s
Catholic Charities agencies that, based on the recently passed Religious
Freedom and Civil Union Act, it would be removing the nearly 2,000 foster
children under the agencies’ care, ending a 30-year foster care partnership
between the state and Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities refuses to place
children in homes with same-sex or unmarried opposite-sex couples, leading the state
to conclude that Catholic Charities is in violation of the law.
On
July 11, an Illinois judge granted a preliminary injunction in favor of
Catholic Charities maintaining the status quo; the court battles over the case
continue.
Robert
Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, commented,
“The Catholic Charities/foster care issue is our chief concern. We’re looking
beyond this particular case to see if they change the definition of the word
‘spouse’ to include those in same-sex relationships. We could be a court case
away from having same-sex marriage.”
Gilligan
describes Illinois as “trending liberal,” a “purple state heading blue.” Hence,
the Catholic Conference is unsuccessful in securing passage of many of its
initiatives, such as one requiring that women seeking abortions be shown ultrasound
images of their babies before aborting them. Gilligan is also concerned that
the state may soon adopt a comprehensive sex-education curriculum that forbids
the teaching of abstinence. While such measures would not directly affect
Catholic schools, “what is taught in public schools affects society as a
whole.”
When
lobbying on behalf of the bishops, Gilligan is often disappointed with
lawmakers’ lack of common sense and courage to stand up for their convictions.
He said, “You don’t have to be religious to see that adoptive children do best
when placed with a loving mom and dad. You don’t have to be religious to see
that encouraging teens to abstain from sex until marriage would alleviate many
of our social problems. I think people will look back at our time and ask,
‘What were they thinking?’”
While
Gilligan still sees respect for the Church among legislators, there is less and
less receptivity for the Church’s message, he says. “The changing attitudes of
society are affecting our elected officials,” he explained. “And even our
Catholic elected officials often demonstrate that they have little knowledge of
their faith.”
Gilligan
encourages Catholics to shed their apathy and become more aware of issues
affecting society. Too many people won’t become involved in an important issue
because they think it won’t affect them, he said. Concerned citizens calling
public officials’ offices about issues can make a significant impact.
DISAPPOINTMENTS
IN RHODE ISLAND AND NEW YORK
Catholic
leaders had twin disappointments on the East Coast in June: the adoption of
civil unions in Rhode Island and same-sex marriage in New York.
Bishop
Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, an outspoken defender of traditional marriage,
released a statement on June 30 that declared: “I am deeply disappointed that
Rhode Island will establish civil unions in our state. The concept of civil
unions is a social experiment that promotes an immoral lifestyle, is a mockery
of the institution of marriage as designed by God, undermines the well-being of
our families, and poses a threat to religious liberty.”
Father
Bernard Healey, director of the Rhode Island Catholic Conference, noted that
the Conference’s disappointment was tempered somewhat in that the state did not
adopt same-sex marriage. Additionally, the civil union legislation had a strong
religious exemption which said that churches do not have to accept civil unions
as valid.
The
battle in Rhode Island over same-sex marriage will continue, Father Healey
cautioned, because supporters are “relentless” and a state or federal court
could “impose same-sex marriage by judicial fiat.” Neither same-sex marriage
opponents nor advocates were pleased by civil-union legislation, he noted: “It
is a compromise that pleased nobody but the politicians.”
Father
Healey lamented that the civil-union legislation did not permit conscience
protection for individuals. A wedding planner or photographer, for example,
could be sued for not offering services for a civil-union ceremony. (He
believes that the First Amendment will protect Catholic priests from lawsuits when
they refuse to perform same-sex marriages, however.)
Father
Healey also noted that the Catholic Conference was closely following other
issues, including measures that could provide taxpayer funds for abortions and
efforts to tax non-profit institutions. The election of Tea Party conservatives
in the state has not always been of assistance to advancing the Catholic
viewpoint, he added: “Some are fiscal conservatives, but social libertarians.
They’re not opposed same-sex marriage or abortion, except when they have to pay
for it.”
Father
Healey encouraged Catholics to be faithful citizens, study the Church’s
teachings on public policy issues, and hold public officials accountable for
their actions: “We all need to be concerned with the common good.”
On
June 24, New York’s bishops issued a statement declaring they were “deeply
disappointed and troubled” by that state’s legalization of same-sex marriage.
Dennis
Poust, director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference,
said, “We worked hard to defeat it, telling our legislators that a
re-definition of marriage was not the way to address society’s problems. They
responded by blowing up the whole issue.”
Poust
attributes the defeat to millions of dollars of funding from same-sex marriage
supporters, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City. The state’s new
politically popular (and nominally Catholic) governor, Andrew Cuomo,
“arm-twisted” on the issue, Poust says, and several key legislators switched
their votes to allow its passage. Poust pointed out two such Republican state
senators, Mark Grisanti of Buffalo and Roy McDonald of Troy, both Catholics. (The
GOP held a 32-30 majority in the senate, and could have defeated the measure.) Poust
commented, “Mark Grisanti had said he’d vote against same-sex marriage, and
even spoke about his faith on the floor of the Senate. When he switched his
vote, it was particularly offensive.”
The
issue also drew the attention and support of many celebrities. Singer Lady
Gaga, for example, urged attendees at a Buffalo concert earlier this year to
call a then-wavering Senator Grisanti to demand he support same-sex marriage.
Other
areas of concern for the Catholic Conference include the Reproductive Health
Act, which would declare abortion an unassailable right in the state of New
York. The measure could be taken up in the next legislative session. As well as
being pro-homosexual marriage, Cuomo is a staunch supporter of legalized
abortion. Poust concluded, “We’re off to a rocky start with Governor Cuomo.”
DEATH BY DOCTOR
Attempts
to legalize physician-assisted suicide in states such as Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, and Vermont recently prompted the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops to release a policy statement on the issue, titled “To Live
Each Day with Dignity.” In the document, the bishops ask the public “to stand
for the dignity of people with serious illnesses and disabilities, and promote
life-affirming solutions for their problems and hardships” rather than providing
such individuals with the means to kill themselves. It was the first time the USCCB
collectively addressed the issue, although individual bishops have issued
statements on the subject.
Voters
legalized assisted suicide in Oregon and Washington; the Montana Supreme Court
effectively legalized it in 2009. Vermont will be next, if newly elected
Democrat Governor Peter Shumlin has his way. He assured voters, “As governor, I
will strongly champion death with dignity legislation.” He had sponsored such
bills previously while a legislator.
This
year, legislation was introduced in both Vermont’s House and Senate to legalize
assisted suicide, but further consideration has been delayed until the next
legislative session, which begins in January 2012. The Diocese of Burlington,
which encompasses the entire state, has not been involved with direct lobbying
of legislators, but has taken steps to explain to its parishioners the dangers
legalizing assisted suicide. Bishop of Burlington Salvatore Matano asked his
fellow citizens of Vermont, “Do we as a people wish to be identified as a Death
State, where life is terminated at its beginning and at any stage thereafter?”
If
the state of Vermont legalizes assisted suicide, it will be the first time a
state legislature has done so, remarked Mary Hahn Beerworth, a Catholic and executive
director of Vermont Right to Life. (Although not affiliated with the
organization, the Diocese of Burlington uses the Vermont Right to Life as a
resource for information on life issues.)
Beerworth
said Vermont is “the most liberal state in the country,” and that moral
arguments by people of faith to legislators about assisted suicide will have
little effect. Instead, some of the more effective lobbying has been done by
groups representing people with disabilities. Once assisted suicide becomes
legal, Beerworth argues, the disabled may be pressured to commit suicide due to
the amount of medical care they use or the additional burdens they place on
their families and community.
Beerworth believes that the citizens of Vermont
are leaning toward accepting legalized assisted suicide, and that a vote of the
legislature on the issue could go either way. She concluded, “People who
support the right to life should be very, very, very concerned about what
happens with assisted suicide in Vermont. If it gains a foothold here, we could
see it rapidly spread to other states in the Northeast.”