Reverence for Life
We hold life sacred from conception to natural death. We support policies and services that assist pregnant women to make life-affirming choices.
Why Federal Mandate Threatens Religious Liberty
The White House’s announcement on February 10, that it would require insurers instead of employers to pay for contraception, sterilization and abortifacients has not changed the very narrow definition of religious employer contained in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations. The rule states that to be a religious employer an organization must "serve primarily persons who share the[ir] religious tenets."
In fact, the effort to remedy the situation announced by President Obama last week not only finalized the HSS rule but left unanswered critical questions, such as how self-insured organizations can comply if the mandate violates their religious beliefs. Many Catholic organizations – dioceses, hospitals and schools – are self-insured to avoid such conflicts with government mandates. Also open: how would HHS determine if an institution is “religious” enough to qualify as a religious employer? What other mandates might be imposed further down the road? How will insurance companies pay for coverage without passing costs on to employers?
Prop 8 Proponents Petition Entire Ninth Circuit Court
On February 21, 2012 the ProtectMarriage.com coalition, the official proponents of Proposition 8, petitioned the entire Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to review the smaller panel’s February 7 decision in which they ruled 2-1 that California’s state amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman was federally unconstitutional.
Because that decision conflicts with every state and federal appellate court which, when asked, has upheld traditional marriage as rationally related to the state’s interest in responsible procreation, the coalition decided to request an “en banc” review of the smaller panel’s opinion.
California Bishops Support Life and Family Initiatives
Measures Will Require Parental Notification and End the Use of the Death Penalty
(En Español) Due to the convergence of two initiatives whose sponsors are seeking their placement on California’s November 2012 ballot, we Catholic bishops have been presented a unique teaching moment on life and family.
As Catholics, we believe and teach that we bear the image of God. We come to life as the result of humanity’s collaboration in God’s creative work. Ordinarily, each child is the result of the loving union of a man and woman who have formed a family.The family then cradles the newborn, raises up the child and guides the young person’s development to adulthood. As citizens, we believe that government serves best when it supports families in their irreplaceable task of nurturing the next generation.
Catholic social teaching brings the Gospel message to the issues of our modern world. It is summarized here with 
The newest statement from the California Catholic Conference is 
Every four years the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) encourages us to examine our call to be engaged in public policy decisions. Catholics generally take their participation in their communities seriously, but have become just as susceptible to the 30-second sound bite and fear-inducing pundits as the next person.
