News Release: Catholic Conference Announces Advocacy Priorities for 2013–2014 Legislative Session

Religious Liberty & Abortion Coverage Limitations Highlight MCC’s Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2013

(Lansing)—Policies that protect the ability for faith based organizations to serve the general public in that organization’s faith tradition should be recognized by state law Michigan Catholic Conference stated today in announcing its advocacy priorities for the 2013-14 legislative session. In addition to protecting constitutional religious liberty rights for faith based entities, especially in health care and child placement, Michigan Catholic Conference will also continue to support legislation that excludes abortion coverage in health care plans and any federal/state health care exchange created through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

Michigan Catholic Conference’s advocacy agenda was approved in December by its Board of Directors and is being released this week through FOCUS, a periodic publication distributed to all Catholic parishes, schools, institutions and other locations and individuals across the state. The Conference’s advocacy agenda falls into eight categories and is developed from a concern and interest for policies that impact the common good and moral fiber of the State of Michigan. Recently, matters pertaining to religious liberty and constitutional rights for faith based entities have become more critical for the Conference than in previous years.

“Catholic and other religiously based institutions have for decades provided excellent service in the fields of health care and child placement, and those agencies’ ability to continue to serve the public in their faith tradition is a priority for Michigan Catholic Conference,” said Tom Hickson, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy. “The sad reality is that, despite the work these institutions accomplish for citizens of the state, especially poor and underprivileged children and families, efforts are underway by hostile entities to close faith based institutions solely because of their religious teachings.”

Legislation that would have acknowledged conscience rights for faith based child placement agencies and health care organizations made progress in the previous session and are likely to be addressed again this session. Also last year a measure that would have excluded abortion coverage in any Michigan health plan or that which is to be created under federal health care reform was vetoed as part of healthcare modernization legislation. The abortion exclusion policy is allowed under PPACA and has already passed in numerous other states.

“For nearly 25 years Michigan has prohibited tax-payer funded abortion and since the passage of Proposal A in 1988 the abortion rate has been cut in half from previous levels,” Hickson said. “There is no justifiable reason why any tax-paying citizen in Michigan should be forced unwittingly to pay for another person’s abortion.”

Below is a detailed listing of public policy issues that are of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference in the categories of Religious Liberty, Human Life and Dignity, Children and Families, Health Care, Education, Economic Justice and Regulatory Policies, Restorative Justice and Immigration:

Religious Liberty

Human Life and Dignity

Education

Children and Families

Health Care

Economic Justice and Regulatory Policies

Restorative Justice

Immigration

Federal Issues

As Michigan Catholic Conference is primarily a state-based advocacy organization, federal issues will be addressed in collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Only when the USCCB has taken a position on an issue will the MCC engage with the Michigan congressional delegation. Among the many pressing and critical issues addressed by Congress, the following are of significant, immediate concern:

While some of the policies mentioned above may be addressed this legislative session, it is likely that additional policies of interest to the Conference will come forward that may not be included in this list. Michigan Catholic Conference staff will evaluate those policies based on whether or not they promote the common good and take action as deemed necessary.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

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