Monday, November 9, 2015, Meeting

Our Monday, November 9th, meeting will begin preparations for January 19, 2016, meetings of bus passengers with their legislators while in Olympia for the annual March for Life.  Join us in SSTM's office Conference Room at 7:15pm (following 6:30pm Mass in the chapel).  All are welcome!

At the urging of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, we will be sponsoring our 3rd annual "Fortnight for Freedom" events at St. Stephens parish between June 20th through July 4th 2015 to pray, fast, and act on behalf of our First Amendment guarantees to freedom of religion -- or as the bishops are calling this year's theme "The Freedom to Bear Witness" to the truth of the Gospel. A meeting to finalize plans will be held on Monday evening, June 8th at 7:15pm in the Parish office conference room; all are invited.

Legislation in Olympia to track this week (February 9th, 2015)

Abortion Insurance Mandate hearing set for Feb 10th

1) A bill that would force every private insurance policy to cover abortion, sterilization, and controversial contraceptives (HB 1647) has been scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday, February 10th, at 8 am in the House Health Care Committee. This bill essentially makes it illegal to buy or sell a private insurance policy that doesn’t cover abortion.

Many people oppose abortion generally. Many more do not want to pay for someone else’s abortion regardless of how they feel about the right to have one. But this bill ignores the strong differences of opinion on this divisive issue and forces everyone to become a financial partner with the abortion industry. This bill is primarily about forcing employers to pay for their employees’ abortions.

If you can't make it, call your legislators through the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000 or email them to share your thoughts.  Please “oppose” this bill.

2) State legislators have introduced HB 1502 which would require every Washington state employer to pay for objectionable forms of contraception, even if they are willing to provide other forms of contraception.  This bill is before the House Judiciary committee.  Please call your state rep to “oppose” this bill.

3) Meanwhile, another bill (HB 1687) has been introduced in the state House declaring that the right to life begins at the moment the individual comes into being.  Please call your state rep to “support” this bill.

4) Senate bill SB5289 Parental Notification for Abortions would require notification of parents or guardians before a minor could have an abortion.  Please contact your state senator to “support” passage of this bill.

EWTN, the Apostolate for Family Consecration (AFC), and Catholics for the Common Good Institute (CCGI) have partnered to produce a six part mini-series, “Evangelizing the Culture for Marriage and Family” that begins on Monday, January 12 at 3:30pm PST and runs each weekday through the following Monday. It features Rev. Kevin Barrett, Chaplain for the AFC, interviewing Bill May, President of CCGI and Margot Kyd, Chairwoman of the Board of CCGI.

The truth about marriage has become so hidden that confusion about it is causing fewer and fewer people to seek marriage as the foundation of their own families. The unfortunate result is also seen in court decisions and in our culture with the legal redefinition of marriage. To see a promotional video and details about the series go to http://ccgaction.org/marriage/EWTN-EvangelizingtheCulture.

Also, the 2015 Washington State legislative session begins on Monday, January 15^th.  Here is a look at a few of the issues we think could be debated in the legislature in the upcoming session.

Abortion Insurance Mandate: Senate Bill 5026 would require every private insurance company in Washington State to cover abortion. Every insurer already offers abortion, but under current law individuals and companies are free to purchase insurance that does not cover it if they prefer. This bill has been defeated in the Senate for the last three years.

Forcing Religious Hospitals to Perform Abortions: The abortion industry is increasingly concerned with the fact that Catholic hospitals are merging with public hospitals because Catholic hospitals are unwilling to perform abortions. Groups supportive of the abortion industry held a number of community events around the state over the summer and circulated a petition in support of legislation that would require religious hospitals to perform abortions in violation of their beliefs. We are not yet aware of specific legislation to address this issue, but it is very possible in this session.

Payment for Webcam Abortions: This bill would facilitate payments from state sources for telemedicine, or medical consultations done remotely via computer.  The abortion industry wants to be able to charge the state for prescribing chemical abortions remotely. They have used a similar strategy to increase their revenues in other states because it allows fewer medical staff to prescribe more abortions. Encouraging abortion providers to prescribe abortions remotely is especially problematic in Washington state where there is no requirement that parents know about a minor's abortion. As a result, encouraging remote chemical abortions would create a situation in which minors are getting an abortion without their parent's awareness and without any medical professionals nearby. In light of the fact that chemical abortions have been known to kill women and often cause severe abdominal pain and bleeding, this would be a dangerous situation for the girls involved.

There will undoubtedly be other issues to deal with as well and we will keep you informed of all the developments affecting marriage, life, religious freedom, and parental rights.

You are encouraged to contact your legislators through the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000 anytime you have a thoughts to share or questions to ask.