Child Abuse Law Signed in New York Long After Diocese’s Adoption

Fourteen years after the Diocese of Brooklyn began to offer programs in parishes and schools to prevent abuse of minors, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed “Erin’s Law” on Aug. 29, requiring public schools in New York state to have a similar program.

A Catholic Push for Pro-Pregnancy Bills

In the aftermath of the passage of the Reproductive Health Act in January, the New York State Catholic Conference (NYSCC) continues to lobby for bills that would help pregnant women and boost adoption, while opposing bills that it deems harmful to life at any stage.

Reminder That Doctors Are Healers Not Killers

Applying Catholic principles about death and dying issues to New York State laws was the topic for Kathleen Gallagher of the New York State Catholic Conference, when she visited Brooklyn Wednesday evening, Oct. 5.

Suicide Law Puts Many at Risk

“Choice” rings hollow when pressures come from family members who increasingly see their financial resources being drained and their loved ones as burdens; when health insurance companies will pay for a lethal dose of drugs, but deny a claim for expensive chemotherapy treatments; when health providers subtly make judgment calls about whose lives are worth living and whose are not; and when the mechanisms of our very government sanction and assist in death-making.

A Catholic Look at End-of-Life Choices

Having a conversation about end-of-life care is awkward and difficult, but it can help in making decisions about what matters most when the time comes. That was the focus of “Journey to Healing: End of Life Conversations and the Catholic Perspective,” a free conference hosted by Catholic Charities Bereavement Services.

NY Bishops Change Lobbying Strategy

The Catholics at the Capitol lobby day in Albany will not be held this year; instead, a multi-pronged approach to advocacy with the state legislature will be developed, some of which will be implemented in the 2015 session.