Life & Family Life
SB 20: ‘Great first step’ to prevent Texans from unintentionally subsidizing abortion
Jennifer Allmon The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops supports SB 20. We would like to thank Senator Taylor for filing this bill to prohibit abortion coverage on health benefits plans in the federal health benefit exchange program. We also applaud the provision which requires that individuals purchasing insurance be notified that coverage for abortion is…
Read MoreSB 25: Stop ‘wrongful birth’ lawsuits
Jennifer Allmon The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops supports S.B. 25. This bill is short and simple, but presents a powerful message of profound respect for unborn life and the lives of persons living with disabilities, and the noble desire of doctors to do no harm to their patients. S.B. 25 prohibits wrongful birth lawsuits that claim…
Read MoreBishops support full funding of Texas’ DFPS
Michael Barba The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops support fully funding DFPS, especially programs pertaining to aging out, kinship care, prevention and intervention, and the shift to a regional community-based model. To inform this conversation, I’ll walk through two persistent problems facing the agency. Caseload In 1996, the Governor’s Committee to Promote Adoption told DFPS…
Read MoreFort Worth Catholic Charities: HB4 encourages positive kinship care for children in foster care
Dana Springer Director of Child Welfare Services Catholic Charities Fort Worth The main goal of foster care is reunification between child and their birth family. Currently, relatives of the child are not the first option for placement. Research by the Health and Human Services Department has shown that children placed in kinship care have less…
Read MoreFort Worth Catholic Charities: Faith-based agencies welcome HB6
Shannon Rosedale Catholic Charities Fort Worth. More than 25% of Texas’ foster care provider networks are faith-based. These agencies provide a necessary service to protect the state’s most vulnerable children. The services provided are life-saving. For the system improvements in HB 6 to be successful, they must be coupled with conscience protections. Protecting the conscience…
Read MoreTestimony on SB 11: Cautious first step in foster care reform
Jennifer Allmon Executive Director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops I’m testifying in cautious support of SB 11. The issues facing our foster care system in Texas are numerous and complex. SB 11 is a beginning point in providing some needed reforms. We believe that a triage assessment system is an improvement that will…
Read MoreNovena for life begins Jan. 21
A modern adaptation of an ancient Catholic prayer allows people to prepare spiritually for the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States, Roe v. Wade. The nine day prayer, titled “9 Days for Life,” is organized by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Texas Catholic Pro-Life Day falls…
Read MoreStatement in response to Catholics for Choice campaign
On Monday, full-page advertisements ran in the San Antonio Express-News, the Houston Chronicle, and the Dallas Morning News from a Washington D.C.-based entity called Catholics for Choice. Despite what is implied by its name, Catholics for Choice is not a member-oriented organization and has no affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, it is financed…
Read MoreProposed rules right long-time wrong
Last week the Department of State Health Services published long overdue draft rules for the humane and dignified disposition of human fetal remains. Support of these rules is something on which people on both sides of the fractious abortion debate can find common ground. Regardless of one’s definition — unborn babies, products of conception, fetuses,…
Read MoreTexas Bishops highly concerned with ruling that puts women at grave risk
AUSTIN — The US Supreme Court has decided, in a 5-3 decision, to strike down key provisions of Texas HB2, a law that protects women’s safety while seeking an abortion. The Texas State Legislature overwhelmingly approved HB2. The Texas Catholic Conference supported the passage of this pro-life law and submitted an Amicus brief to the…
Read More