Bishops talk about measures to ban abortion days before elections | National Catholic Register

Here’s a roundup of the latest pro-life and pro-life news in the US:

Bishops talk about abortion ballot measures

On November 3, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski will lead a prayer for the Archdiocese of St. Louis to “defeat Missouri Amendment 3.” ballot this would create a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom.” The archbishop is set to celebrate a special Mass at St. Louis Cathedral at noon on Sunday, followed by the Holy Hour. He called on Catholics to pray and fast in the days leading up to the election, and the archdiocese suggests others opportunities for prayer for a week.

In Nebraska, the only state with competing pro-life and pro-life ballot measures, Omaha Archbishop George Lucas on Wednesday urged Catholics to vote for pro-life measures. He recently gave a video from October 30th. statement urging Catholics to vote against Initiative 439 and for Initiative 434.

Lucas called Initiative 434 “an important step toward ensuring the health and safety of women and their children.” He called on Catholic parishes to ensure that any woman facing an unexpected pregnancy “can get the resources she needs” regardless of the election outcome.

Louisiana Sued Over Controlled Substances Law Banning Abortion

A group of health care providers is suing Louisiana over a recent law classifying abortion pills as “controlled hazardous substances” and requiring them to be stored in secure areas of hospitals. In state court lawsuit On Thursday, the Birthmark Doula Collective said a doctor, a pharmacist and two women said the classification leads to delays during medical emergencies.

The lawsuit notes that two drugs used in the abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, are often used in medical procedures unrelated to abortion. For example, misoprostol treats miscarriages and postpartum hemorrhages, and mifepristone is often used to treat miscarriages and Cushing’s syndrome, the lawsuit notes. Controlled substances must be stored in secure areas inside the hospital, which delays access to the drug, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit states that Louisiana has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.

Three states recently sued The US Food and Drug Administration after it rescinded its safety regulations. Louisiana law protects unborn children from abortion unless the mother’s life is at risk or there is a fetal abnormality.

Catholic hospital in California agrees to perform abortions

Catholic hospital in California agreed provide emergency abortions in cases where the mother’s health is at risk, following California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s lawsuit against the hospital. The lawsuit alleged that St. Joseph’s Hospital in Providence denied emergency care to a pregnant woman whose water broke prematurely at 15 weeks, in violation of several California state laws, Bonta said.

Although Providence St. Joseph did not admit guilt in the lawsuit, the hospital agreed Temporarily allow doctors to perform abortions in cases of serious threat to the mother’s health under California law. According to statement Bonta, California’s Emergency Services Law (ESL) requires California hospitals to perform emergency abortions when necessary for the patient’s health.

Catholic hospitals are “never permitted” to perform abortions, a US bishop says. Ethical and religious guidelines for Catholic health services.

The U.S. bishops’ directive allows non-abortion treatment that may indirectly jeopardize the unborn child in certain serious circumstances, such as treatment intended to cure a woman of a disease that may inadvertently harm the child. The directive also allows other treatments, such as induction of labor after the fetus is viable “for proportionate reasons.”

The bishop of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Bishop Robert Vasa, referred CNA to the hospital for comment. Providence had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.