The physician-assisted suicide bill is up in committee; celebrating healthcare workers; Happy Mother’s Day!; and battling low vaccination rates in underserved communities in this week’s Insights.
Physician-Assisted Suicide Bill up in Committee
Physician-assisted suicide is sadly legal in California through the so-called End of Life Option Act, which narrowly passed in 2015 with “safeguards” to ensure the law wasn’t inappropriately used. Now, lawmakers are trying to remove those “safeguards,” absurdly arguing that those measures prohibit too many people from using the method.
Specifically, SB 380 (Eggman, D-Stockton) would:
- Prematurely end the existing 2025 sunset date and legislative reevaluation option years early with little to no scientific data to support this action (especially in light of the worldwide pandemic);
- Stop future oversight or evaluation of annual reports about assisted suicide requests and their outcomes. (Existing reports do not contain any data regarding complications, reasons for requesting the lethal drugs, and for the limited data provided, much is listed as “unknown.”)
- Remove the 15-day waiting period “safeguard.”
Why now? Why the rush? Why, after so many deaths during the pandemic and rates of depression skyrocketing, do we need to encourage more death now?
SB 380 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday. For those that received an alert for your Senator this week, it means he or she sits on the Appropriations Committee. Please be sure to respond to the alert as soon as possible. Your voice speaking out against doctor-assisted suicide is very important. If the bill passes, please keep watch for critical alerts and other ways you can help defeat this bill on the Senate floor.
If you’d like to learn more about SB 380, you can visit NoOnSB380.com or read this op-ed by Kathleen Domingo, incoming Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference.
Celebrating Healthcare Workers
National Hospitals Week (May 9 – 15) and National Nurses Week (May 6 – 12) are being celebrated this month. These celebrations are especially poignant in this era of the COVID-19, which has been exceptionally taxing on healthcare workers and their families.
The Catholic Health Association has a prayer for National Hospitals Week for this year’s theme: Inspiring Hope Through Healing. The CHA also released a video statement on National Nurses Week, recognizing the vital work nurses do each and every day caring for others. Be sure to thank the healthcare workers in your life for their incredible and selfless sacrifices.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the special women who reflect Christ in their love for others.
The USCCB Respect Life Action Mother’s Day Guide is a helpful resource to cherish the gift of life that we receive from our mothers and to pray for all women to whom God has entrusted life in a very special way. It includes special bulletins, intercessions, and homily considerations to help celebrate the beautiful vocation of motherhood and the gift of life.
St. Dymphna Novena
May is Mental Health Month, and for nine days, you can join in praying the St. Dymphna novena for someone you may know who is affected by mental illness. St. Dymphna is the patroness of those who suffer from mental afflictions. She was murdered by her own father who was suffering from mental illness and grief. She was only 15 years old. Her feast day is May 15.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll, not only on physical health but also on mental health. The isolation, economic toll, and lack of stability have tested even the healthiest of individuals. Take time to pray for those afflicted by mental health illness, and learn more about the bishops’ commitment to mental health in their pastoral statement Hope and Healing.
Battling Low Vaccination Rates in Underserved Communities
Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine continues to fall while some communities have low percentage of vaccinated individuals.
In Los Angeles, ten parishes are offering vaccination clinics in an effort to make the vaccine available to underserved communities. Others in San Diego, San Jose and Orange are also participating in vaccine distribution. You can also watch this webinar clip where Isaac Cuevas, Director of Immigration and Public Affairs for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, describes the impact of COVID-19 in parishes and how they are helping in the vaccination effort.
In The News
HHS Plans to Reverse ‘Protect Life Rule’
On April 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a proposed rule on the Title X family planning program that would reverse the Trump Administration’s 2019 Title X Rule (also known as the “Protect Life Rule”).
U.S. Bishops’ Migration Chairman Welcomes Revised Refugee Admissions Cap
Earlier in the week, the Biden Administration announced that it will increase the number of refugees who can be resettled in the United States during the current fiscal year to 62,500.
“Let us use everything we can, especially the powerful instrument of the media, to build and strengthen the common good. Let’s use the #MediaforPeace. #Signis.”
@Pontifex
May 7, 2021
Vol. 13, No. 17