* From the Chicago Catholic, which is the newspaper of the Chicago Archdiocese…
The bishops of Illinois’ six Catholic dioceses gathered in Springfield March 28 to speak against proposed legislation that would define abortion as a fundamental right and do away with a law requiring that the parents of minors seeking abortions be notified.
“This is not about the right to an abortion, although we would question that,” said Cardinal Cupich. “This is a radical departure from the status quo that goes far beyond Roe v Wade.”
One of the two bills would define abortion as a fundamental right and states that embryos and fetuses would have no independent rights. It also would remove protections for doctors and other health care providers who refuse to participate in abortions because it violates their consciences and would require that private health insurance in Illinois fully cover the costs of abortions. […]
“As physicians, we take an oath to do no harm,” said Stallings, who is Illinois director of the Catholic Medical Association and a member of the Illinois Catholic Healthcare Association. “We offer patients an objective treatment plan based upon medical training and scientific testing. It has been a longstanding practice, however, to respect doctors’ rights of conscience when they are asked to perform a morally objectionable procedure. … I love taking care of women and delivering babies. If this legislation passes, I am not going to leave the medical profession and abandon women who need good health care. But I will refuse to participate in an abortion.”
* Cardinal Cupich…
Further, the legislation removes the right of health care workers to refuse to participate in a procedure that violates their right of conscience. Does the State of Illinois really want to become a place where people are forced to do things in their workplace that are against their most deeply held beliefs?
* Colleen Connell, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois…
When we proposed the Reproductive Health Act, we expected a vigorous debate – but one based on facts. The Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act – which is unaffected by this legislation – continues to protect health care providers from participating in any care that inconsistent with their religious and moral beliefs. Period. Full stop. Suggesting otherwise is simply not true.
* From the Illinois Health Care Right Of Conscience Act…
“Conscience” means a sincerely held set of moral convictions arising from belief in and relation to God, or which, though not so derived, arises from a place in the life of its possessor parallel to that filled by God among adherents to religious faiths. […]
No physician or health care personnel shall be civilly or criminally liable to any person, estate, public or private entity or public official by reason of his or her refusal to perform, assist, counsel, suggest, recommend, refer or participate in any way in any particular form of health care service which is contrary to the conscience of such physician or health care personnel. […]
This Act shall supersede all other Acts or parts of Acts to the extent that any Acts or parts of Acts are inconsistent with the terms or operation of this Act.
* Capitol News Illinois…
The legislation exists in both chambers of the General Assembly. Both House bills are seemingly stuck in a subcommittee, as is the Senate version of the Reproductive Health Act.
Only the Senate version of the effort to repeal the Parental Notification of Abortion Act has moved to the chamber floor for a possible vote.
Robert Gilligan, executive director of Catholic Conference of Illinois, said Thursday that could change “at any point in time, so we’re here to just express our opposition to (them), and we hope they stay where they are.”
The parental notice bill made it out of a Senate committee, but the Reproductive Health Act is stuck in Senate Assignments after missing the committee passage deadline last week when the Executive Committee didn’t take action. Exec is tightly controlled by Democratic leadership.
And, yes, as subscribers have known for a while now, the House bills are stuck in a subcommittee.
* Sun-Times…
“This morning I come to question the unlimited right of one human being to end the life of another,” Cupich said, while calling the measures “the latest attack on human dignity.”
Cupich said a Roe v. Wade protection was already granted in the signing of House Bill 40, the controversial measure former Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law. The law ensures abortion remains legal in Illinois even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, while also allowing women with Medicaid and state-employee health insurance to use their coverage for abortions.
“This is a fundamental question that should be well considered before such important legislation is voted on,” Cupich said. “Who lives? Who dies? who decides?”
* Illinois News Network…
Questions from reporters quickly turned to the church’s child sex abuse scandal. Earlier this month, a Minnesota law firm released a 182-page report with details about 395 Catholic clergy members and church staff in Illinois who have been accused of sexual misconduct.
One reporter asked what standing the church had to lecture about the issue given the widespread, decades-long practice of priests abusing children.
“Those are all very important questions … but this issue, no matter who speaks for it, is so compelling that it needs to be heard and the focus needs to stay on [abortion] today,” Cupich said. “Those other questions – and others you may have about other topics – are important and they surely should be responded to in their own venue.”
* WEEK TV…
Bishops from across Illinois joined together in Springfield Thursday to voice their concerns about potential changes to state abortion laws. The Catholic bishops held a press conference about the issue, which marks the first media event Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky was present since new allegations of priest sex abuse came to light in the Peoria Diocese.
After numerous requests for interviews via phone, e-mail, and in person about sexual abuse allegations in the Catholic Church. Again, this is the first time there has been a press event where Bishop Daniel Jenky was present, and available for questioning. […]
“Cardinal, since you are speaking about it, since you are speaking for Bishop Jenky then what is the catholic church doing to prevent these things from continuing to happen within the Catholic Church when it comes to priest sex abuse?”
“Yes again we will be happy to discuss that issue and any other issue you have but we want to put the focus on these two bills today. said Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago ”
The bishop was then wheeled away. Reporter Kyle Beachy tried to speak with him in the hallway mentioning the numerous times we have tried to go through proper channels to offer the diocese a chance to speak on camera.
* More…
The Archbishop and bishops would not answer questions about sexual abuse allegations during the press conference. When Pearson tried to ask Jenky some questions following the event, he said, “You’re clearly trying to do one of those ‘gotcha’ things.We are here to express our opinions on these two bills…” Jenky then directed us to their website for information on their response to this issue.
After that our other reporter, Kyle Beachy, approached Bishop Jenky before he left the Capitol.
Kyle Beachy, Heart of Illinois ABC: “Do you think you’ve been transparent about the issue of sexual abuse?”
Bishop Daniel Jenky: “Yes, go on the internet and you can see everything we know going back to the 1870’s.”
- So_Ill - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 10:47 am:
I can’t think of a group with less credibility on any issue than the Catholic Church in 2019.
- Demoralized - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 10:54 am:
==where people are forced to do things in their workplace that are against their most deeply held beliefs==
So we should get to dictate what we do or do not want to do at work? I’ll try that sometime and see what happens.
If you have thing you don’t want to do because of your beliefs then I respect that. But, if your job requires you to do some of those things then you probably should find a new line of work that conforms to your beliefs.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 10:56 am:
This is not about the right to an abortion, although we would question that,” said Cardinal Cupich.
Said the quiet part out loud.
- efudd - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 10:56 am:
“one of those gotcha things”
Yeah, that old liberal media asking questions about the one issue that has, and will continue to define your organization for decades.
Nothin’ like a little religion to give everyone peace.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 10:57 am:
If the catholic church wants to set rules for their own club, they are free to do so.
I’m not even remotely interested in how they think the state should be run.
- Annonin' - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:04 am:
So Blaze and the Bishop of Bling can come to SPI and make demands, but will not report on whether they passed their “How To Dial 9-1-1″ classes. Wonder why the SPI press corp did not dig in on this last week when the big rally clogged the State House?
- A guy - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:08 am:
Demo, to be fair, these professionals have not “had to” perform these procedures that this bill addresses. It’s a change. They likely chose their work places accordingly.
I’m pro-life and everything that means. I’m well aware of where that debate goes on the blog here. So, there’s little reason to exacerbate the point here. But, the work place conditions change with this bill, very much against the deeply held beliefs of people there. They shouldn’t be forced to leave their work. As the doctor above said, “I love delivering new babies”. They should be able to continue doing what they love.
- wordslinger - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:09 am:
–“one of those gotcha things”–
No, it’s really not.
- Anonymous - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:09 am:
When churches start paying tax then I’ll start listening to their political opinions.
- A guy - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:16 am:
==When churches start paying tax then I’ll start listening to their political opinions.==
Are you asking to see the Cardinal’s tax returns and those of every faithful person who attends every service of every religion? I’m willing to bet collectively, people of faith pay a lot of tax.
- wordslinger - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:42 am:
–I love taking care of women and delivering babies. If this legislation passes, I am not going to leave the medical profession and abandon women who need good health care. But I will refuse to participate in an abortion.”–
So… what’s the problem?
–The Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act – which is unaffected by this legislation – continues to protect health care providers from participating in any care that inconsistent with their religious and moral beliefs. Period. Full stop. Suggesting otherwise is simply not true.–
- Anonymous - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:43 am:
==people of faith pay a lot of tax==
Yes, but churches are exempt. The bishops were presenting the church’s position, which I doubt all their faithful agree with.
- PJ - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:44 am:
Can you imagine a world in which the Catholic church put as much effort into actually helping people after they’re born as they do forcing women to carry pregnancies to term no matter what? They might actually do some good for once.
- Roman - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:51 am:
If the bishops are surprised or put off by getting questions about the sex abuse crisis from reporters, they’re more out of touch with reality than one can imagine. Get used to it guys, it’s gonna happen every time you face a reporter. Or just never hold another press conference.
I’m not nuts about either one of these bills, but man, it’s hard to be on the same side with David Smith and the bishops.
- lakeside - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 11:59 am:
==require that private health insurance in Illinois fully cover the costs ==
The thought of the health insurance I pay for covering a routine, legal medical procedure I could potentially need…
- cler dcn - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 12:04 pm:
Sad commentary. The Bishops show up at the conference about abortion issues and questions. It will not be long and then whenyou get old and useless, we need to terminate your life taking up resources in the nursing home. It is a one topic press and one topic answer whenever the Catholic Church does anything these days.
One fact remains constant, true justice will not be in this world, but we need to keep at it.
- lakeside - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 12:12 pm:
@12:04. Reads like it was translated from the Russian it was translated from.
- The Big Salad - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 12:14 pm:
==Can you imagine a world in which the Catholic church put as much effort into actually helping people after they’re born as they do forcing women to carry pregnancies to term no matter what?==
I can. We live in it. I watched a line of 50 homeless individuals yesterday filter in to be served lunch by the Church. You just choose not to live in that world so you can hate-snark as argument.
- The Big Salad - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 12:31 pm:
==If the catholic church wants to set rules for their own club, they are free to do so.
I’m not even remotely interested in how they think the state should be run.==
If you want to set rules for your family, you’re free to do so.
I’m not even remotely interested in how you think the State should be run.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 12:40 pm:
=== I watched a line of 50 homeless individuals ===
That’s nice. You’ve ignored the part that says ‘as much effort’.
I’m pretty sure there are more than 50 women in the state of IL every day. Or are you just accustomed to ignoring their existence?
I don’t know where this incessant need comes from for many catholics to constantly play the victim in every interaction they have.
- The Big Salad - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 12:42 pm:
==“…what is the catholic church doing to prevent these things from continuing to happen within the Catholic Church when it comes to priest sex abuse?”==
If the reporter actually cared about learning what the Church has done, and continues to do, for years now to address this rot, he could easily find it through the untold number of interviews, reporting, and information shared already on the topic.
He doesn’t. He cares about confronting a bishop at press conference off-topic, and then doesn’t even attempt a thoughtful question to show he’s spent any time researching it. So, he got what he wanted.
This ties in with those who run in now to be the first to post “what moral authority does the Church have on this?”. It’s a diversion. I rarely see any honest attempt to understand the efforts of the Church to address the abuse and to safeguard against future occurrences, and it often comes from people who would have zero interest in what the Church is saying regardless of whether the scandal existed in the first place. Why don’t you just come out and admit you can’t stand the Church and what it teaches, and then we can have an honest conversation.
- Amalia - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 12:59 pm:
the Vaticant-ers spend more time yelling about preventing women from making their own decisions than they do about all the kids abused by their priests. no credibility whatsoever.
- wordslinger - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 1:13 pm:
–If the reporter actually cared about learning what the Church has done, and continues to do, for years now to address this rot, he could easily find it through the untold number of interviews, reporting, and information shared already on the topic.–
And those efforts, and lack thereof, over the years raise a whole lot of questions.
- GraduatedCollegeStudent - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 1:19 pm:
===If the reporter actually cared about learning what the Church has done, and continues to do, for years now to address this rot, he could easily find it through the untold number of interviews, reporting, and information shared already on the topic.===
You’re right. The current efforts are out there, as well as the information about how it was addressed in the past. The problem is that obfuscation, transfers, coverups, and encouragement to prayer don’t really reflect a serious attempt to address the core problem and should not be treated as such.
===He doesn’t. He cares about confronting a bishop at press conference off-topic, and then doesn’t even attempt a thoughtful question to show he’s spent any time researching it. So, he got what he wanted.===
And if they ever wanted to be at a press availability to shine a light on this maybe it wouldn’t be necessary. Unfortunately church leadership appears to prefer to stonewall like crazy.
===This ties in with those who run in now to be the first to post “what moral authority does the Church have on this?”. It’s a diversion. I rarely see any honest attempt to understand the efforts of the Church to address the abuse and to safeguard against future occurrences, and it often comes from people who would have zero interest in what the Church is saying regardless of whether the scandal existed in the first place. Why don’t you just come out and admit you can’t stand the Church and what it teaches, and then we can have an honest conversation.===
If the church, which claims moral and spiritual authority, showed an honest attempt to address a scandal that is approaching two decades of running (Boston Globe articles in 2002), you might have a point. They haven’t, as evidenced by the fact that this thing has been a going concern for decades. You don’t get to play the morality card if this is the case.
- Demoralized - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 1:25 pm:
==Why don’t you just come out and admit you can’t stand the Church and what it teaches,==
Stop being such a victim. That statement is just ridiculous.
- two to tango - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 1:54 pm:
====require that private health insurance in Illinois fully cover the costs ==
Read the amendment. Only requires the cost be attributed to deductibles.
- efudd - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 2:31 pm:
“are you asking to see the Cardinals tax returns…”
That may be the biggest straw man B.S. I’ve ever read on this blog. Which automatically qualifies it for biggest straw man ever.
Try again, Oliver Wendell.
- Anyone Remember - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 2:47 pm:
To those defending the Catholic Church, I’d suggest you examine what happened in Ireland, and research the term “symphysiotomy “…
- Left Leaner - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 3:18 pm:
If the Catholic Church spent as much time, energy and money on its child sexual abuse problem as it did on its anti-abortion work, it wouldn’t have a child sexual abuse problem. #CredibilityProblems
- A guy - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 3:37 pm:
fudd, all churches, including the Catholic church are full of tax paying people in their congregation, including clergyman, many of whom don’t take a vow of poverty, and pay their taxes. Just like you.
Catholic Charities feeds and houses thousands and thousands of people every single day. They provide all manner of services every single day. In no way does that excuse any terrible behavior by abusive people within the church. As a Catholic I’m ashamed of that happening. The atonement for these sins will be ongoing for the rest of time.
I don’t see anyone defending these people today. The victims are entitled to justice. The damage is beyond imagination. Everyone who turned a blind eye is guilty too.
Please don’t conflate that with a sincere effort to protect life.
- Purple Dog - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 3:46 pm:
==Can you imagine a world in which the Catholic church put as much effort into actually helping people after they’re born as they do forcing women to carry pregnancies to term no matter what? They might actually do some good for once.==
Seriously? No other institution clothes more people, feeds more people, takes care of the health care of more people, and educates more people than the Catholic Church. Wow. Learn your facts.
- ajjacksson - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 4:00 pm:
“Who will speak up for the little ones,
Helpless and half-abandoned?
They’ve got a right to choose life they don’t want to lose.
I’ve got to speak up; won’t you?”
- Anyone Remember - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 4:08 pm:
Purple Dog -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalene_Laundries_in_Ireland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferns_Report
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Smyth
- Chris - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 4:17 pm:
Storefront clinics should not hide any elective surgeries or prescriptions for minors from the parents/guardians of that minor without a waiver from a judge. Would we tolerate this for all elective surgeries/prescriptions or only when our fav special interest is involved?
Also, RHA removes some conscience protections from IL law. What is the upside to that? All it does is roll the dice on whether or not a court will find that a medical facility is liable for refusing to do an abortion when a preg woman has complications later in pregnancy. If the healthcare facility is found liable, there goes all the Catholic hospitals (and some others) across the state. Who wants to pick up the bill to make up for the catastrophic loss to the healthcare infrastructure that will create?
- Last Bull Moose - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 4:20 pm:
The Catholic Church has no defense on the sex abuse cases. All they can do now is deal harshly with the abusers and those that hid the evil.
They have made some recognition that suicide today is usually a result of mental illness. Their policy developed in a culture where suicide was a sane option. Falling on your sword was a real thing.
There only way out on abortion is to distinguish between when life begins and when the soul enters the body. Some believe the soul enters with the first breath. Were the Church to adopt that position, their opposition to abortion goes away. The Church is in the business of saving souls, not lives.