Act Now: Let Your State Senators Know Abortion Expansion is Not Good for Women or Children!

Catholics in New York State are being asked to make their voices heard before the budget is due on April 1 to prevent the expansion of abortion in
New York State. Governor Andrew Cuomo included pending legislation in his budget bill that would further diminish the rights of the unborn in our state and endanger their mothers.

St. John Paul, in his teaching Evangelium Vitae, reminded Catholics that every upright conscience should oppose these attacks to human life condemned in these words by the Second Vatican Council: "Whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or wilful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where people are treated as mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others like them are infamies indeed. They poison human society, and they do more harm to those who practise them than to those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonour to the Creator."

Today 76% of Americans support some limitations on abortion. Despite more and more statesenacting sensible limitations on abortions, New York State is doing the opposite. Please review the provisions of this new abortion proposal, outlined here, reach out to your State Senator to oppose this bill (instructions at the bottom), and encourage your family and friends to do the same.

On January 16, 2018, Governor Cuomo introduced his budget bill, S.7511. In the bill, he included anabort ion expansion proposal. If the budget passes, virtually all limitations on abortion will be lifted. This is particularly dangerous, because the law requires a budget to be passed by April 1.

What would this abortion expansion legislation do?
The Governor’s bill would align New York with the most liberal abortion laws in the world. The bill would remove our current law’s limit and allow abortions after 24 weeks. Studies show that a fetus experiences pain at 20 weeks.

5-10% of babies are born alive after a late-term abortion procedure, and those infants are currently protected. This bill would eliminate the law that requires that a baby born alive after an abortion be given adequate health care.

This bill would permit non-doctors to do abortions – the State government could grant alicense to perform abortions to virtually anyone.

The bill would eliminate all criminal penalties for abortions – so even if an abortion was against a mother’s will (involuntary or coerced), or if an unborn child is deliberately targeted for an act of violence, it could not be prosecuted.

What can we do about this?
The Action Center of the New York State Catholic Conference has made it very easy for us to oppose this proposal through their website. The following steps will allow you to sign your name electronically to a pre-written letter (which you have the option to edit in your own
words) that will go directly to your senator:

1. Click here for the NY State Catholic Conference Action center
2. Look for the action item that says “Oppose Abortion Expansion in State Budget!”
3. Enter your information.
4. Select “Send Message.”
5. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for the Catholic Action Network so that you’ll get future alerts of messages to send to your legislators right to your email inbox. Alerts are sent sporadically as issues come to the forefront in the legislative process, rarely more often than once a month, usually less often.

ALSO:

If you or anyone you know is struggling with a pregnancy, there are pregnancy resource centers in every area of the Diocese to provide support. In Monroe County, there are several, including Women’s Care Center, Focus Pregnancy Center, and Birthright, to name a few. Catholic Family Center also offers support and help with parenting or adoption options.

Trained, confidential volunteers (priests, deacons, religious, lay people, and professional counselors) are also available to offer hope and healing after abortion. They can be reached at 888-9-rachel (888-972-2435) or email [email protected].