In June the US Supreme Court announced a number of decisions related to WSCC legislative priorities. Cases of particular relevance are highlighted below.
In deciding Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, giving states the opportunity to determine abortion laws. In this WSCC statement, the bishops of Washington state welcomed the decision and called on the faithful to serve mothers and families facing difficult decisions. Read the statement of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) here. In response to the Supreme Court decision, on July 8 President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services to increase abortion access. Archbishop William E. Lori, chair of the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities criticized the executive order in this USCCB statement.
In Biden v. Texas the Supreme Court decided that the Secretary of Homeland Security's termination of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) was lawful. Also known as the "Remain in Mexico" program, MPP required certain asylum seekers to return to Mexico to await US hearings. This caused asylum seekers with credible fear of persecution to have limited access to support systems, while also subjecting them to danger and hindering their ability to legally secure protection from known threats. The USCCB, Catholic Charities USA, and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) lauded the end of the MPP program in this statement.
In Carson v. Makin the Supreme Court found that it was unlawful for Maine to prevent students at faith-based schools from accessing state tuition assistance. In certain rural areas of Maine, public secondary school is not available, and families are given tuition assistance to attend private schools. Prior to the ruling, funds could not be used to attend religious schools. As chair of the USCCB Committee on Catholic Education, WSCC's Bishop Thomas Daly of the Diocese of Spokane was among signers of this USCCB statement, praising the court's decision that supported religious liberty and by extension the mission of Catholic schools.
In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a former high school football coach of Washington state, determining that he had the right to pray on school football fields following games because his prayers were private speech; the prayers were not endorsement of religion by a public school. An amicus brief for this religious liberty case was filed by the USCCB.
In West Virginia v. EPA the Supreme Court issued a decision limiting the power of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse gases from power plants. In this statement, the USCCB expressed disappointment in the ruling to restrict the EPA's authority, citing the need to address the threat and challenges of climate change.
Click on this Action Alert from Catholic Charities USA to urge President Biden, Senator Patty Murray, Senator Maria Cantwell, and your US representative to help low-income families and children via the final budget reconciliation bill that is currently under consideration.
Last month President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law, which implements new gun safety laws and invests in mental health services. Click here to learn more and read the USCCB statement supporting the new law.
The 108th World Day of Migrants and Refugees is September 25. Pope Francis' message to mark the day, "Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees," may be found here. Visit the USCCB's Justice for Immigrants website to learn more about Catholic Social Teaching on migration and the Church's work to advocate for immigrants.
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