Latest news from CFC feed://www.catholicsforchoice.org/feed.xml “The ‘Health Care Right of Conscience Act,’ signed yesterday by Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, will impose outrageous restraints on women seeking healthcare services,” said CFC president Jon O’Brien in a statement today. “In addition, it uses fake science in equating emergency contraception to drugs like RU-486—despite the best efforts of antichoice activists, the scientific consensus is that they are different. With the help of Gov. Brownback, women of Kansas will now suffer from this abuse of science and power.” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/KSGov.asp Tuesday, 15 May 2012 17:528:00 EST Abortion and gay marriage. For years, they've been lumped together as the paramount wedge issues of U.S. politics — hot-button topics in the vortex of sexuality, personal freedom and public policy. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/Gaymarriageabortion.asp Monday, 14 May 2012 17:528:00 EST Women’s rights in Hungary were restricted when a new constitution was introduced in January. Listen to CFC president Jon O’Brien’s speech to Hungarian activists in Budapest about the dire consequences that came about when a similar thing happened in Ireland, find out the truth about Catholic teaching on abortion, and why it matters for women in Hungary, Ireland and all over the world. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/podcasts/JOBHungarypresentation.mp3 Tuesday, 8 May 2012 17:528:00 EST At age 30 and single, Christa Dias wanted a baby and decided on artificial insemination. The results: a 14-month-old daughter she adores, a lost job and a federal discrimination lawsuit now moving forward that is being viewed as a barometer on the degree to which religious organizations can regulate employees' lives. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/inthenews/2012/SingleMomCatholicSchoolsDiscriminated.asp Tuesday, 1 May 2012 17:528:00 EST “The USCCB seems to think that it has the right to redefine religious liberty. It does not. The US Constitution is very clear that religious liberty includes freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion, despite the best efforts of the bishops to pretend otherwise. A well-publicized statement from Cardinal Timothy Dolan in Easter week acknowledged that the Catholic hierarchy has a lot of work to do in educating Catholics about the bishops’ teachings. This new document from the bishops is an odd way to start—by seeking to impose themselves into political debates that take on extra importance in an election year. The principles of religious liberty and freedom of conscience are foundational ones for Catholics, as indeed they are for all Americans. And they have been codified in the Constitution to protect against religious intrusions in our lives, such as the ones the bishops are now trying to impose. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/BishopsSeektoRedefine.asp Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:528:00 EST Destigmatizing abortion is vitally important for the health and well-being of women around the world. Sadly, in too many places, abortion is a thorny issue. The latest issue of Conscience explores the controversies surrounding abortion, including late abortion and public funding for contraception and abortion care. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/podcasts/JOBHungarypresentation.mp3 Sunday, 1 April 2012 17:528:00 EST By a vote of 51-48 this morning, US Senators blocked an amendment sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) that would have allowed any employer or insurance company to override an individual employee's right to access comprehensive healthcare and therefore to make healthcare decisions based on their own beliefs. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/BluntAmendment.asp Thursday, 1 March 2012 17:528:00 EST En una conferencia sobre la infertilidad convocada por el Vaticano la semana pasada, el Papa Benedicto XVI arremetió contra las técnicas de reproducción asistida como la fecundación in vitro. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/InsensiblescomentariosdelPapa.asp Thursday, 1 March 2012 17:528:00 EST At a Vatican conference on infertility last week, Pope Benedict XVI railed against reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization. Speaking in the Vatican to an audience of conservative researchers and medical experts, the pope warned against the “easy income” that could be made from the “fascination of the technology of artificial fertility.” Both scientists and the families who benefit from scientific advances in fertility treatment are guilty of “the arrogance of taking the place of the creator,” Benedict said. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/Popescommentsoninfertility.asp Tuesday, 27 February 2012 17:528:00 EST Today, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing titled, “Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/HearingonReligionandFreedom.asp Thursday, 16 February 2012 17:528:00 EST The White House has announced what it would like us to call an “accommodation” on access to insurance coverage for birth control. Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, said: “We are glad to see that the administration did not choose to cave completely to the bishops. But the reality is that this compromise relies on insurance companies doing the right thing, and gives victory #1 to the bishops on their ‘religious liberty’ shopping list. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/campaignbybishops.asp Friday, 10 February 2012 17:528:00 EST This morning, leaders of more than twenty mainstream religious traditions issued an open letter to the White House, supporting the announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services that contraceptive services must be covered by most insurance policies without deductibles or copays, with only religious organizations to be considered exempt. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/JointStatementFromFaithGroups.asp Wednesday, 8 February 2012 17:528:00 EST The campaign by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops against alleged religious intolerance should be seen today for the shell that it really is. In a nation where the largest single religious denomination in Congress is Catholicism; where six of the nine Supreme Court justices and more than a quarter of the population were baptized Catholic and where one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, DC, is the bishops themselves, it hardly seems plausible to believe that there is widespread intolerance of Catholic views. In fact, it’s completely implausible. There is a certain intolerance, or more correctly, rejection of some of the bishops’ demands, but that is to be expected when it is widely known that the vast majority of Catholics disagree with the bishops, ignore their dictates and, instead, act according to their own individual consciences—which is precisely what Catholic teachings demand of them. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/bishopslobby.asp Wednesday, 1 February 2012 17:528:00 EST President Obama listened to all of the women and men who called, e-mailed and wrote to the White House to express their support for family planning decisions staying in the hands of women. In so doing, he remained true to the original vision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and refused to bend the knee to intense lobbying from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic healthcare industry and other special interests who wanted him to expand a refusal clause that would have denied millions of women access to affordable family planning. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/ObamaFinallyDoestheRightThingforWomen.asp Friday, 20 January 2012 17:528:00 EST The never-ending efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to force US law to comply with the bishops’ interpretation of Catholic teachings continue. The USCCB has rounded up its colleagues in the Catholic healthcare industry and allies in Catholic education, social services, NGOs and religious orders and placed a full-page ad in today’s Washington Post calling for an expansive refusal clause that will ensure that millions of women and men are denied no-cost family planning coverage. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/BishopsContinueLobbyingonHealthcareReform.asp Wednesday, 21 December 2011 17:528:00 EST Catholics for Choice provided testimony supporting human trafficking victims’ access to reproductive healthcare to a hearing of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today. We are pleased that the hearing, called “HHS and the Catholic Church: Examining the Politicization of Grants,” is investigating the grant-making process. There is a real danger that something other than the well-being of trafficking victims may upstage the healthcare needs of these vulnerable women—as well as their conscience-based right to act upon those needs. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) receives over $2 billion a year in grants from the US government, but objects to the decision by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to give preference to organizations that provide information on and referrals to the full range of reproductive healthcare services when administering Trafficking Victim Services Grant Awards. Today’s hearing was called to allow the voices of those in need of the services delivered under these grants to be heard. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/HearingonCapitolHillExaminesFederalGrant-makingStandardsforProgramsServingHumanTraffick.asp Wednesday, 14 December 2011 17:528:00 EST In a stunning setback for women’s access to healthcare services, President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has ignored the advice of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ease the restrictions on the sales of Plan B, a method of emergency, or after-sex, contraception. In a rare sign of public dissent within the administration, the FDA commissioner, Margaret Hamburg MD wrote, “I reviewed and thoughtfully considered the data, clinical information, and analysis provided by CDER [Center for Drug Evaluation and Research] , and I agree with the Center that there is adequate and reasonable, well-supported, and science-based evidence that Plan B One-Step is safe and effective and should be approved for nonprescription use for all females of child-bearing potential.” This means that the proposal to remove the pills from over-the-counter status, and permit pharmacies to place them on shelves like other safe and effective oral medications, cannot now take place. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/ObamaAdministrationRejectsScientificEvidenceonEC.asp Wednesday, 7 December 2011 17:528:00 EST Members of Congress and their staff will this afternoon hear from a diverse group of faith-based organizations about what is really at stake in the battle over refusal or conscience clauses in healthcare delivery. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CongressionalBriefingReveals.asp Tuesday, 6 December 2011 17:528:00 EST This World AIDS Day is marked by some bright spots of hope. According to a recent report from UNAIDS, the epidemic has leveled off, with 2.7 million people becoming newly infected every year, and almost seven million people in treatment that helps them live longer, healthier lives. The picture was very different 20 years ago, when the rate of new infections was steadily rising and many affected individuals went without treatment. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/WorldAIDSDay2011.asp Thursday, 1 December 2011 17:528:00 EST In an open letter to President Obama published on today’s New York Times op-ed page, Catholics for Choice called on President Obama to stand up for what women and men want and ensure that family planning is included on the list of essential preventive services under the Affordable Care Act. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been lobbying hard, calling for the president to include an expansive refusal clause that will ensure that millions of women and men are denied no-cost family planning coverage. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/PresidentObamaDontTurnYourBackonWomen.asp Monday, 28 November 2011 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement this morning after the pope spoke about preventing the spread of HIV in Africa. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/PopesStatementonAIDSinAfricaTellsPartofStory.asp Monday, 28 November 2011 17:528:00 EST SPRINGFIELD—Following an unprovoked attack from the Catholic Conference of Illinois on Governor Pat Quinn, Catholics for Choice has written to the governor expressing their support for his actions and thanking him for standing up to the local bishops. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/catholicspraisegovquinn.asp Tuesday, 8 November 2011 17:528:00 EST Today, Catholics for Choice president Jon O’Brien was invited to testify before the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The chairman of the Subcommittee, Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA), called the hearing to address the question, “Do New Health Law Mandates Threaten Conscience Rights and Access to Care?” Rep. Pitts was the sponsor of HR 358, a recently passed bill that gave unprecedented exemption rights to hospitals, allowing them to refuse to provide abortion care, even when necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsforChoiceUrgesCongress.asp Wednesday, 2 November 2011 17:528:00 EST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Mientras que una comisión parlamentaria en la Argentina se prepara para debatir la liberalización de la ley del aborto en una audiencia que se realizará el 1 de noviembre, una nueva encuesta divulgada hoy revela que la mayoría de los argentinos está a favor de los componentes de los intentos legislativos por reformar la ley del aborto. En la actualidad, si bien el aborto es legal en unas pocas circunstancias, es en gran medida imposible de conseguir para la mayoría de las mujeres. Más del 80 por ciento respalda el derecho de la mujer a acceder a atención del aborto cuando su salud esté en riesgo y/o cuando el embarazo sea resultado de una violación. Casi el 70 por ciento de los encuestados estuvo a favor de que el aborto pueda realizarse cuando el feto tenga serias anormalidades. Una de las disparidades más llamativas que la encuesta reveló fue que, si bien el aborto puede ser en la actualidad casi totalmente imposible de conseguir en la Argentina, un tercio de los argentinos conoce a alguien que se ha hecho un aborto (34 por ciento). http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/Mientrasqueloslegisladores.asp Friday, 28 October 2011 17:528:00 EST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Mientras que una comisión parlamentaria en la Argentina se prepara para debatir la liberalización de la ley del aborto en una audiencia que se realizará el 1 de noviembre, una nueva encuesta divulgada hoy revela que la mayoría de los argentinos está a favor de los componentes de los intentos legislativos por reformar la ley del aborto. En la actualidad, si bien el aborto es legal en unas pocas circunstancias, es en gran medida imposible de conseguir para la mayoría de las mujeres. Más del 80 por ciento respalda el derecho de la mujer a acceder a atención del aborto cuando su salud esté en riesgo y/o cuando el embarazo sea resultado de una violación. Casi el 70 por ciento de los encuestados estuvo a favor de que el aborto pueda realizarse cuando el feto tenga serias anormalidades. Una de las disparidades más llamativas que la encuesta reveló fue que, si bien el aborto puede ser en la actualidad casi totalmente imposible de conseguir en la Argentina, un tercio de los argentinos conoce a alguien que se ha hecho un aborto (34 por ciento). http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/ArgentinaPoll.asp Friday, 28 October 2011 17:528:00 EST A Congressional Subcommittee hearing today on the state of religious liberty in the US heard from Bishop William Lori, the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, who gave testimony on behalf of the bishops’ conference. The bishop’s testimony intimated that some Catholic teachings on religious liberty should be incorporated into American law. His proposals, however, would disproportionately benefit Catholic organizations and institutions, while trampling on the religious liberty of every citizen and having a chilling effect on the ability of Americans to receive basic preventive healthcare in publicly-funded Catholic hospitals or through their health insurance. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CongressionalHearingonReligiousLiberty.asp Wednesday, 26 October 2011 17:528:00 EST Catholics today expressed anger about the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ role in promoting support for the so-called “Protect Life Act” (HR 358), a bill that will endanger women’s lives across the US with an extreme ban on abortion coverage while expanding permission for health professionals to refuse to provide reproductive healthcare services, even in life-threatening situations. The US bishops have been actively lobbying policymakers and pushing conservative Catholics to do the same in an effort to see the bill passed. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/BishopsLobbyCongresstoCodifyTheirBeliefs.asp Thursday, 13 October 2011 17:528:00 EST Today the public comment period for the Department of Health and Human Service’s regulations on coverage for preventive health services comes to a close. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/DecisionTimeatHHS.asp Friday, 30 September 2011 17:528:00 EST The president of Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins, has written to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling for the refusal clause in the HHS guidelines on contraception to be widened even further to include institutions “inspired by faith.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsSupportInsuranceCoverageforFamilyPlanning.asp Thursday, 29 September 2011 17:528:00 EST Two open letters—one from Catholic theologians and another from Catholic politicians—have been submitted to Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, asking that she resist pressure from Catholic bishops and cover all women under the proposed regulations regarding preventive health services, including contraception. The 60-day comment period for the new guidelines ends on Friday. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicPoliticiansandTheologiansSpeakOutagainstBishops.asp Wednesday, 28 September 2011 17:528:00 EST In an open letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Catholics for Choice, along with 15 other Catholic organizations, urged Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to uphold access to family planning by rejecting the proposed refusal clause in regulations for coverage of preventive health services under the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, the current wording of the proposed HHS guidelines “allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services.”http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CathOrgsExposeWhatBishops.asp Monday, 26 September 2011 17:528:00 EST Following recent comments regarding the Obama administration’s commitment to upholding nondiscrimination laws in the work place, Catholics for Choice joined 55 other religious, civil rights, labor and health organizations and delivered a letter to President Obama demanding a clarification of his stance. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/socialjusticeleadersquestion.aspMonday, 19 September 2011 17:528:00 EST Frank Pavone, the leader of Priests for Life, has been suspended from engaging in active ministry outside the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, as a result of concerns about financial improprieties. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FrankPavoneSuspended.asp Tuesday, 13 September 2011 17:528:00 EST Catholics for Choice is dismayed to see that one of the groups at the front of the pack pressing the Virginia Board of Health to impose limiting and unjust regulations on specific health providers in the Commonwealth is the Virginia Catholic Conference. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsforChoiceurgesmembersoftheVirginiaBoardofHealthtorejectproposedabortionregulat.asp Wednesday, 31 August 2011 17:528:00 EST This week, The Condoms4Life Campaign brought the message that good Catholics use condoms and condoms save lives to the pilgrims of World Youth Day and the people of Madrid. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CensoredCondoms4LifeCampaignIsBeamedAroundtheWorld.asp Sunday, 21 August 2011 17:528:00 EST The World Youth Day 4 All coalition welcomed the remarks from Archbishop Braulio Rodriguez of Toledo, Spain, who pointed out that the Catholic World Youth Day celebration is taking place in a country where freedom of expression is protected. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/PopeArrivesinSpain.asp Thursday, 18 August 2011 17:528:00 EST Catholic World Youth Day has drawn an unusual coalition of activists to Madrid this year—young people who are thanking the pope for recognizing that condom use saves lives by preventing the transmission of HIV. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/IntlYouthCoalition.asp Tuesday, 16 August 2011 17:528:00 EST The Department of Health and Human Services has issued guidelines on the Institute of Medicine’s call to include comprehensive family planning services as a preventive benefit for women’s health under the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, the ruling “allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services.” http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicLeaderCondemnsRefusalClauseHHS.asp Monday, 1 August 2011 17:528:00 EST WARSAW- Today progressive Catholic organizations from around the world sent a letter to the Polish Parliament urging the parliamentarians to ensure that abortion remains available to women in Poland. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/ProgressiveCatholicOrgsUrgePolishParliament.asp Monday, 1 August 2011 17:528:00 EST On the 43rd anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s groundbreaking decision to reaffirm the Vatican’s ban on contraception, a score of progressive Catholic organizations wrote to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, calling on her to “implement the coverage recommendations of the recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report which include comprehensive contraceptive methods as a preventive benefit.” http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicOrganizationsCallon.asp Tuesday, 26 July 2011 17:528:00 EST Leading faith-based organizations, representing millions of individuals across the country, joined together today to applaud the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report advocating coverage without copays of the full range of contraceptive services under a provision governing women’s preventive health benefits in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FaithGroupsApplaud.asp Friday, 22 July 2011 17:528:00 EST The Institute of Medicine’s call to include comprehensive family planning services as a preventive benefit for women’s health under the Affordable Care Act is a step in the right direction. This means that, if the federal government agrees with the proposal, these services will be provided at no extra cost to women. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/IOMsrecommendations.asp Wednesday, 20 July 2011 17:528:00 EST Publimedia, an advertising company based in Madrid, Spain, has announced that it has rejected the Condoms4Life advertisements that had been booked to run on the Madrid transport system during this year’s Catholic World Youth Day. Catholics for Choice, the organization responsible for the campaign, prepared the ads to thank the pope for acknowledging that condoms save lives, as well as to raise awareness about the importance of condom usage as a means of preventing the transmission of HIV. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CensorshipRearsitsUglyHead.asp Tuesday, 12 July 2011 17:528:00 EST Catholics for Choice, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, in coalition with more than a dozen faith-based organizations, will participate in a briefing today on Capitol Hill to highlight religious support for access to a comprehensive range of reproductive healthcare services. At issue are two bills that would seriously restrict women’s rights to access safe and affordable abortion services in the US. The two bills, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (S. 906/H.R. 3) and the “Protect Life Act” (S. 877/H.R. 358), which have been introduced in the House and Senate by antichoice members of Congress, would directly infringe upon a woman’s ability to make conscience-based decisions about the healthcare services she wishes to access. http://catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/FaithVoicesLeadBriefing.asp Thursday, 30 June 2011 17:528:00 EST In an unprecedented statement in Rome’s prominent daily, Corriere della Sera, Catholics for Choice and the Condoms4Life campaign welcome attendees to Saturday’s Vatican conference on HIV and AIDS with the message... http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CatholicsStandBehindPopesStatement.asp Wednesday, 27 May 2011 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the FY2011 spending bill that was passed by Congress today. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CFCStatementonFY2011BudgetDeal.asp Wednesday, 14 April 2011 17:528:00 EST In an unprecedented move, Conscience magazine asked leading authors to provide a comprehensive analysis of President Barack Obama’s prochoice record. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/ConscienceObama.asp Wednesday, 9 May 2011 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the FY2011 spending bill that was passed by Congress today. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2011/CFCStatementonFY2011BudgetDeal.asp Wednesday, 14 April 2011 17:528:00 EST Today’s decision by the Maryland Health Care Commission to allow the Catholic entity, Holy Cross Hospital, to build a new facility in Montgomery County, Md., is troubling. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/holycross.asp Thursday, 20 January 2011 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued a statement today after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sought to clarify the pope’s comments on condom-use. http://catholicsforchoice.org/ThePopeDidAcknowledgethatCondomsCanHelpPreventtheSpreadofHIV.asp Tuesday, 21 December 2010 17:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued a statement today after Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona, declared that a local hospital could no longer describe itself as Catholic. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/ASadStateofAffairsinPhoenixArizona.asp Tuesday, 21 December 2010 15:528:00 EST International development agencies in nine countries—Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America—have been asked to explain their criteria for funding HIV and AIDS assistance—and whether faith-based organizations get special concessions when they apply for public funds to deliver prevention and treatment programs abroad. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsWelcomeDecisiononAbortioninIreland.asp Thursday, 16 December 2010 12:528:00 EST International development agencies in nine countries—Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America—have been asked to explain their criteria for funding HIV and AIDS assistance—and whether faith-based organizations get special concessions when they apply for public funds to deliver prevention and treatment programs abroad. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/HIVandAIDSAdvocacyGroupsaroundtheWorldCallforMoreFundingTransparency.asp Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement on the most recent news from the Vatican on condom use. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/PopesStatementonCondoms.asp Tuesday, 23 November 2010 12:528:00 EST Catholics for Choice is delighted that the pope has acknowledged that condoms can help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. It is a marvelous victory for common sense and reason. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/PopesStatementonCondoms.asp Sunday, 21 November 2010 12:528:00 EST Catholic organizations have written to the management company of the Empire State Building supporting its decision not to accede to the latest self-promotion campaign of Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League. Donohue wants the Empire State Building lit up in blue and white for Mother Teresa on August 26, the 100th anniversary of her birth. The Empire State Building’s management declined, and Donohue began a campaign of bullying and misinformation, saying Catholics were insulted by the decision. Catholics from across the country disagree with him, and assured the building’s management that Bill Donohue and the Catholic League don’t speak for the majority of Catholics. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsExpressSupportforNewPlannedParenthoodClinic.asp Thursday, 19 August 2010 12:528:00 EST In a letter to the staff of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Jon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, expressed sadness over a protest by the local prelate, Archbishop George Lucas, at the site of a new clinic in Omaha, Neb. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsExpressSupportforNewPlannedParenthoodClinic.asp Thursday, 31 July 2010 12:528:00 EST A new report released on the eve of XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna calls for clarity regarding the funding and activities of faith-based organizations that are involved in HIV/AIDS work. The report, “Seeing Is Believing: Questions about Faith-Based Organizations That Are Involved in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment,” was commissioned by Catholics for Choice. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/NewReportQuestionsFundingandActivitiesofFaith-BasedHIVAIDSOrganizations.asp Thursday, 15 July 2010 12:528:00 EST Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement about the US Senate Committee Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that lifts the ban on access to abortion services for those served by military hospitals in the US and worldwide: “This amendment is an important step towards ensuring that all Americans have access to the comprehensive healthcare services they need. Catholics believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. This right should not be denied to active duty members of the US military services, military service retirees and their dependents. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/CatholicsSupportReproductiveHealthcareServicesfortheMilitary.asp Friday, 2 July 2010 18:528:00 EST The recent news about a woman in Phoenix who received an abortion in a Catholic hospital has raised again the issue of Catholics, abortion and excommunication. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/DioceseofPhoenixMalignsCatholicNun.asp Thursday, 20 May 2010 14:528:00 EST Bishops Are Not Leaders in Fight for Civil and Human Rights http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/BishopsAreNotLeadersinFightforCivilandHumanRights.asp Thursday, 20 May 2010 12:528:00 EST Catholics Call on Pope Benedict to Reconsider Vatican's Ban on Contraceptive Pill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-obrien/the-catholic-contraceptiv_b_564065.html Wednesday, 5 May 2010 12:528:00 EST The Absence of Institutional Change within the Catholic Hierarchy Damages the Church http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/SexAbuseScandal.asp Monday, 29 March 2010 16:528:00 EST Reforming the health insurance system has led to a significant tightening of restrictions on coverage for abortions. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/OneStepForwardOneStepBack.asp Sunday, 21 March 2010 22:55:00 EST Interference by the US Catholic bishops in healthcare reform does not help women," said Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. http://catholicsforchoice.org/AmericanCatholicsWantBishopsOutofHealthcareReform.asp Friday, 5 March 2010 10:55:00 EST Marysa Navarro-Aranguren, Chair of the Board of Catholics for Choice, welcomed the victory today for women in Spain http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/VictoryforWomeninSpainafterBattleoverNewAbortionLaw.asp Wednesday, 24 February 2010 10:55:00 EST