The Obama administration is facing a subpoena from the Catholic archdiocese of New York seeking White House papers for its lawsuit challenging the government’s health insurance mandate. In an attempt to block the archdiocese, the administration is arguing that the request for documents from President Barack Obama and his senior advisers would be “exceptionally burdensome” Read more
Germany’s Catholic bishops have decided that Catholic hospitals should provide the “morning-after” pill to rape victims “as long as this has a prophylactic and not an abortive effect”. But some Catholic doctors, who say the bishops relied on inaccurate medical information, question the assertion that this pill can function solely as a contraceptive. The bishops Read more
The Obama administration’s latest “compromise” over a federal mandate requiring employers to cover contraceptive services in health care plans is still not acceptable to the United States Catholic bishops. The mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services requires coverage for sterilisation and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortions. Under the latest HHS Read more
Catholic agencies in the United States are cautious about a new “accommodation” for religious institutions that object to covering contraception and abortion services in their employees’ insurance plans. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops declined to comment on the Obama administration’s latest modification to the Health and Human Services mandate that many Catholic employers are Read more
Anti-abortionists are taking aim at the charity status of the Family Planning Association in their latest assault against women and pro-choice organisations. Pro-choice groups have labelled Right to Life’s ongoing grudge-match as tiresome and time-wasting. The Charities Commission confirmed it received a complaint regarding the Family Planning Association’s charity status, but was yet to decide Read more
Pharmacies are being targeted to provide the emergency contraceptive pill, commonly known as the morning after pill, to Taranaki youth aged between 12 and 24, as part of the development of Taranaki’s Taiohi (youth) health strategy. District health board portfolio manager Jenny James said the teenage birth, termination of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection rates Read more
Catholic Archdiocese of Suva counsellor Brother Fergus Garrett said they had been very much part of preparation of two documents, “Fiji Inter-Faith Strategy on HIV/AIDS” and “Pacific Guide to HIV for Christian Ministers, Pastors and Communities”, from the beginning to the final stage. The documents were launched in Suva last Thursday by the President of Read more
Catholic lay groups in the Philippines have pledged to campaign against politicians who supported controversial legislation that will promote artificial contraception as a family planning method. The House of Representatives voted 113-104 to pass the Reproductive Health Bill, which had languished in Congress for 14 years while Catholic groups opposed it. Continue reading
Family-oriented countries like Hungary, Poland and the Philippines are being targeted by population control groups because of their beliefs and pro-life culture, says Human Life International. HLI president Father Shenan Boquet said the groups that take issue with pro-family countries have a “perception that you must lessen the number of children and introduce contraception, sterilisation Read more
Catholic bishops chided US Vice President Joe Biden for saying during last week’s vice-presidential debate that Catholic hospitals and institutions will not be forced to provide contraception coverage to employees. The National Catholic Reporter said the US Conference of Catholic Bishops did not name Biden, but said the “inaccurate” statement “made during the vice presidential Read more