Social Conditions>

The Past and the Future
of the United States of America
FALL RIVER, MA, August 16, 2011-- Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles is quickly becoming one of the most persistently prophetic voices in the Church of the United States. He is as cheerful, amiable and accessible as any bishop in the country, but at the same time he is earning a reputation as a truth-telling boat-rocker, unafraid to call to mind inconvenient truths that many outside the Church and some inside would prefer to ignore. On no issue has he been more candid and challenging than that of immigration.

US Bishops' Spokesperson Rips
Health and Human Services
for Interfering in Religion
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 8, 2011-- U.S. bishops' spokesperson Sr. Mary Ann Walsh blasted the Department of Health and Human Services for interfering in the work of religious hospitals that want to opt out of providing free contraceptives.

Fr. Barron comments on Celebrating Bin Laden's Death?
CHICAGO, May 6, 2011 -- Father Robert Barron provides a poignant reflection on the inviolable dignity of the human person that is important to keep in mind as we contemplate public policy alternatives regarding life, marriage, family and human rights. It is food for thought.

Catholic Health Association
Affirms Bishops' Authority
Following Phoenix Abortion Flap
WASHINGTON, DC, February 2, 2011-- The local bishop has the final word on the morality of medical practices at Catholic institutions in his diocese, insisted Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, head of the U.S. Bishops Conference, in a letter last week to Catholic Health Association President Sr. Carol Keehan.

ACLU: US Bishops Shouldn't Comment
On Health Coverage
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 14, 2011 - the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has criticized the US bishops for opposing free birth control under the new health care law, saying that the Catholic leaders “cannot interfere” into the matter “by turning their religious beliefs into federal law.”

New Budget for California Fiscal Crisis
Considering Principles of Social Teaching
SACRAMENTO, January 11, 2011  —  A somber, pragmatic and well-prepared Governor Brown addressed California’s $28 billion budget deficit, calling his proposal “draconian.” He laid out stark cuts that would total $12.5 billion (providing half of the needed solution) and requested that the Legislature place a proposition on the June ballot to keep the current tax rates (raised temporarily in 2009) for the next five years (which would provide the other half).  When asked what would happen if the voters rejected the tax increases he warned that all of the cuts would have to be doubled.

An ecological blind spot
Contraceptives are polluting women's bodies and the environment,
but who cares?
There is a huge effort today to protect the physical environment from the unintended effects of human activity. We have international agreements and national policies to reduce global warming by curbing excess carbon, produced as human beings pursue their material wellbeing.

Poverty --  The High Cost of Marriage Breakdown
ROME, September. 26, 2010 - The U.S. Census Bureau released the latest figures on income and poverty on Sept. 16. According to the report the official U.S. poverty rate in 2009 was 14.3%, up from 13.2% in 2008. In raw numbers this adds up to 43.6 million people in poverty in 2009, compared to 39.8 million in 2008.

"Eggsploitation" Reveals the Infertility Industry’s Dirty Little Secret
Hidden Dangers, Health Risks, and Exploitation of Young Women
NEW YORK, July 28, 2010 – The infertility industry has a dirty little secret that is dressed in deceptive advertising, large monetary incentives and appeals to altruism. Using these tactics, the industry targets young, vulnerable women for a precious commodity: human eggs. Eggsploitation, a new documentary released today by The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, is a tragic spotlight on the booming and risky business of selling eggs, and reveals the health risks and exploitation of women through egg donation.

US Bishops Set Record Straight on Healthcare Bill
Note Way Forward -- Clarify Misconceptions
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2010—The U.S. bishops called for steps to protect the lives of the most vulnerable particularly the unborn, provide fairness for immigrants, and guarantee conscience protections for individual and institutions in a statement on health care reform issued on May 21.

The Laity and the Evangelization of Business
A lecture from the St. Anthony of Padua Institute's Manhattan Forum
Catholic Social Teaching has always emphasized the need for justice in our economic relationships. Yet in his 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI insists that love is likewise an essential part of business. But is this accurate? Is it not enough for a businessman or woman to simply act with justice? Or is the pope expounding a principle which, though often forgotten, lies at the core of rational business and economic relationships? In this lecture, John Médaille, instructor in theology at the University of Dallas and author of The Vocation of Business: Social Justice in the Marketplace, explores these important questions.

Haiti Devastated by Earthquake
Archbishop Dies
How You Can Help
BALTIMORE, MD, January 13, 2010– The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti 10 miles southwest of the capital of Port au Prince at 4:53 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday, Jan. 12.Catholic Relief Services is readying food and other aid to help families affected by a powerful earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12. CRS has committed an initial $5 million (US) to help survivors of the devastating quake.

Petals in the Dust: India's Missing Girls
Gino and Nyna Caputi, Catholics for the Common Good members, provide a wonderful example of the principle of solidarity. They saw something intolerable, something extermely horrible, and they did not turn away. They have taken on a huge project to make a film to let the world know about the deadly assault on girls in India.

U.S. Bishops-- Senate Health Bill Unacceptable
Essential Changes Needed Before Moving Forward
WASHINGTON, DC, Decermber 22, 2009 —The current health care reform bill is “deficient” and should not move forward without “essential changes,” the chairmen of three committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said December 22.