The Missouri Catholic Conference is proud to debut our 2021 Virtual Annual Assembly today! As we did in 2020, the MCC is once again hosting the Annual Assembly in a virtual format. We have released a new collection of episodes of our podcast, MCC from the Capitol, all at once for you to enjoy at your leisure, and we are pleased to begin with a video message from Archbishop Rozanski of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
As Catholic teaching informs us, there is a broad spectrum of issues important to the Catholic faith. This spectrum is highlighted in the varying episodes of MCC from the Capitol; topics include pro-life concerns, refugee resettlement, race relations, housing crises, and more. We invite you to read the descriptions of each episode and listen to those that interest you, but we especially encourage you to listen to those that you may not be familiar with-we are confident you will come away with a deeper knowledge and understanding of each of these topics.
As part of the Annual Assembly, we have also awarded the Citizen Recognition Award to four Missouri Catholics. Visit the Annual Assembly page on our website to meet this year's recipients! To participate in the 2021 Virtual Annual Assembly, click here or visit mocatholic.org at your convenience.
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals this week conducted an en banc (meaning, before the full court) rehearing of its decision blocking provisions of Missouri's HB 126, also known as the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act. The judges are set to decide whether HB 126's 8, 14, 18, and 20 week abortion bans, along with the law's ban on abortions based on race or a Down Syndrome diagnosis, are constitutional. Most of the questioning, however, focused on the Down Syndrome portion of the law. The state, through Solicitor General John Sauer, argued that the provision is a regulation and not a ban. The distinction is important, as pre-viability bans are categorically unconstitutional under current U.S. Supreme Court precedent in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
The hearing on HB 126 comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a direct challenge to Roe and Casey's rule that all pre-viability abortion bans are unconstitutional. The Court has set oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization-a case involving Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban-for December 1, 2021. The MCC will continue to monitor both cases, and will update our network as they progress.
Two lawsuits were filed this week against a Texas abortion doctor under that state's new heartbeat bill. The suits-thought to be the first brought under Senate Bill 8-were brought against San Antonio physician Dr. Alan Braid. Dr. Braid made news last weekend after writing in the Washington Post that he had violated SB8 by performing an abortion after a fetal heartbeat was detected. According to the New York Times, the two men suing Dr. Braid-one from Arkansas and one from Illinois-are disbarred lawyers with no apparent association with the pro-life movement. The Illinois man, Felipe N. Gomez, described himself as a "pro-choice plaintiff" in his lawsuit against Dr. Braid. Should the plaintiffs win their civil suits, they would be entitled to $10,000 plus their attorney fees.
Ironically, these lawsuits brought under SB8 could ultimately doom the pro-life law. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the Texas law, stating that the plaintiffs had not identified a proper defendant (due to the fact that the law was enforced by individuals, not state officials). These two lawsuits now provide a defendant-Dr. Braid-who can argue that the law is unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which hold that a state cannot ban pre-viability abortions.
In response to the ongoing crisis in the Del Rio sector of the U.S. Mexico border, where thousands of Haitian nationals have been staying after fleeing widespread violence, political turmoil, natural disasters, and economic stagnation in their native Haiti, Bishop Mario Dorsonville, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, and Sister Donna Markham OP, PhD, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, issued the following statement:
"We call on the U.S. government to reassess its treatment of migrants in Del Rio and elsewhere along the U.S. Mexico Border, especially Haitians, who face life-threatening conditions if returned to Haiti and possible discrimination if expelled to third countries. In addition to these services and works provided by many Catholic institutions, we offer our prayers for these migrants and all those seeking safety, security and the opportunity to flourish in accordance with their God-given dignity."
The conditions in Del Rio are grim, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and limited access to basic needs, such as food, water, and shelter. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has responded to this situation by increasing personnel in the region, closing the Del Rio Port of Entry and accelerating the removal of these migrants from the U.S. Read the full USCCB statement here.
The Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN) is a national organization that mobilizes Catholics and all people of goodwill to value life over death, end the use of the death penalty, to transform the U.S. criminal justice system from punitive to restorative and to build capacity in the U.S. society to engage in restorative practices. It works to achieve these goals through education, advocacy and prayer. CMN works in close collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, State Catholic Conferences, Catholic dioceses, and anti-death penalty partners, both Catholic and secular.
