Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC), along with Right to Life (RTL) of Michigan, are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit threatening the state's nearly-century old law protecting unborn children.
MCC and RTL are represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which filed the proposed friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of MCC and RTL. The brief argues the lawsuit is predicated on the hypothetical situation of the U.S. Supreme Court ending the nationwide allowance of abortion in a ruling expected later this year.
"We urge the court to swiftly dismiss this case because it not only lacks jurisdiction -- both sides of the case are arguing for the exact same outcome -- but also because it is based on a hypothetical situation," said John Bursch, senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy for ADF, in a press release issued Wednesday.
"Michigan's elected officials have a duty to uphold the law and protect all their citizens, including the innocent lives of unborn children," Bursch said. "Yet what we're seeing is the state's top attorney engaged in an unacceptable effort to attack a pro-life law that has existed peaceably with the state Constitution for more than half a century."
While Michigan's abortion ban -- which dates to 1846 and updated in 1931 - has laid dormant since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for nationwide access to abortion in 1973, the state law has been upheld by Michigan courts on at least two occasions in that timeframe.
ADF is also asking for the judge appointed to hear the Planned Parenthood case to recuse herself from the case, because she gives annual contributions to Planned Parenthood and has represented both Planned Parenthood and ACLU in the past. The ACLU is representing Planned Parenthood in this lawsuit.
Planned Parenthood is also backing a dangerous constitutional amendment to allow for unlimited abortion access in Michigan. MCC is opposing that effort as part of the Citizens to Support MI Women & Children coalition.
MCC and the Catholic bishops of this state have encouraged Michiganders to avoid signing the radical, anything-goes abortion amendment that could do away with all of Michigan's pro-life laws. We also encourage all Catholics to:
Donate to help the coalition keep pace with the millions of dollars Planned Parenthood will put into this campaign. Visit the coalition website to donate.
Time is running short to add your signature to a petition to expand education opportunities for low-income students across the state.
Petition sheets associated with the Let MI Kids Learn proposal are due to be mailed back to the campaign in early May ahead of a June 1 deadline to submit to the state for consideration.
Next week, the Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to take up several budget proposals. In the state House, several appropriations subcommittees are expected to take up and send budget proposals to the full House Appropriations Subcommittee next week, as well.
MCC will likely have more updates on where those budgets stand in next week's report.
Today marks Earth Day, the annual reminder to promote sustainable environmental practices and care for our common home.
The Catholic Church in recent years has seen a renewed interest in promoting the care of the environment, led by Pope Francis, who published Laudato Si in 2015, which urged all people to "acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face" in better caring for our planet.
Pope Francis also broadened the conversation of caring for the environment to include promoting the dignity of work, importance of family, and the need for technology and the economy to be focused on people. And all throughout the document, the Pope kept a focus on the poor, who experience the worst impacts of environmental deterioration and exclusion.
Today, in recognition of Earth Day, Pope Francis wrote on his Twitter account that "we all need to make a contribution to halt the destruction of our common home and to restore nature: governments, businesses and citizens - we must act like brothers and sisters who share the Earth, the common home that God has given us."
Enjoying these resources, however, also comes with a responsibility to cultivate and care for the Earth. Because those in poverty are disproportionately impacted by pollution and waste, public policies are enhanced when the health of the environment and the health of individuals are discussed.
MCC supports policies such as ensuring access to safe and affordable drinking water and the responsible stewardship of natural resources.
For more about Church teaching on the care for our common home, please see our edition of FOCUShighlighting the Pope's encyclical Laudato Si.