State lawmakers failed to consider the totality of concerns present with paid surrogacy contracts, concerns that include protecting vulnerable women from exploitation and human trafficking, along with how the practice minimizes the dignity of motherhood and childbirth into a sale and delivery mechanism for the gain of others, Michigan Catholic Conference said in response to the signing of bills allowing the practice in Michigan.
Allowing individuals to enter compensated contracts for the creation of children puts vulnerable surrogate mothers at greater risk of exploitation, MCC said in opposition to legislation that passed a state Senate committee, which would allow for compensated surrogacy contracts in the state and also make Michigan an outlier among the international community, which largely views surrogacy as a human rights violation.
MCC commends the state Senate for providing bipartisan support to legislation that would stop payday lenders in Michigan from charging exorbitant interest and fees on short-term loans that ensnare low-income customers in a cycle of debt.
With the Governor delivering her annual State of State address this week and her next budget recommendation due to be released soon, MCC issued a press release urging her and lawmakers to pursue policies primarily aimed at helping families support themselves.
Portions of the Growing Michigan Together Council final report issued today are welcome and deserve legislative support, however, policies that emphasize family life and encourage married couples to have and raise children in Michigan are unfortunately missing from the group’s recommendations to help grow the state’s population, MCC stated after the council’s report was released to the public.
Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference.
The Legislature unveiled and passed a final budget in the midst of a marathon overnight session this week. MCC staff provide a first glance at both the good news and bad news on state funding for nonpublic schools as well as programs to help the poor and vulnerable. Also this week, a judge blocked enforcement of several laws that limit abortion and protect the health and safety of women. Read more in this week’s Lansing Update.
Within the disappointing ruling issued by the U.S. Supreme Court that upheld widespread abortion pill access, the justices unanimously preserved religious conscience rights in the healthcare field. Read about that, plus policy updates impacting foster children and lower-income individuals, in this week’s Lansing Update.
As lawmakers set their sights on finishing the state budget for next year, here’s a look at some critical funding pieces of interest to Catholics, from help for the poor to funding for nonpublic schools. Read about that, as well as the Church’s great feast day today, in this week’s Lansing Update.
New legislation supported by MCC would stop the state’s practice of seizing foster kids’ benefits and instead ensure those funds are protected for foster kids’ use when they exit care. Read about this issue, as well as an update on where the legislative schedule stands, in this week’s Lansing Update.
Efforts to amend the state budget in the Senate to include nonpublic schools in safety funding and other initiatives fell short this week. However, the budget process still isn’t over. Read about where things stand, as well updates on legislation to promote awareness of safe gun storage requirements and shed light on payday lending practices, in this week’s Lansing Update.
The Word from Lansing is a regular column written by Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) staff for Catholic news outlets. Through these columns, MCC outlines current advocacy issues of importance to the Conference and discusses the Catholic position and role in the political process. This publication complements the more regular updates provided by Michigan Catholic Conference’s Catholic Advocacy Network.
That each human person is endowed by God with infinite dignity was the subject of a recent Vatican document, and the truth of human dignity also forms the basis of MCC’s public policy work. Read about how upholding human dignity serves as the common link for the Church’s approach to abortion, surrogacy, serving the poor, and caring for the migrant and refugee.
Pope Francis has challenged Catholics to be a Church that goes to the margins of society and to seek out those who have been forgotten or cast off by the rest of the world, and that’s a principle that MCC articulates in advocating for or against public policy at the state Capitol. Read a recent example about how two different policies that MCC took positions on shared the same theme of looking out for the vulnerable.
Backed by Church teaching that stands opposed to unjust business practices that prey on the poor and vulnerable, read about why MCC is supporting legislation to cap predatory payday lending rates.
With the Governor’s annual State of the State speech and the start of the state budget process, MCC argues public policy—from new legislation to spending priorities—should be aimed at lifting up families and provides some policy proposals that could serve this goal.
MCC identifies five important legislative issues it will be watching during calendar year 2024, including assisted suicide, commercial surrogacy, driver’s licenses for immigrants, and more.
Focus is MCC’s quarterly publication that examines a social or public policy issue through the lens of Catholic social teaching. Focus has a mailing list of 4,200 and typically distributes 50,000–75,000 copies to Catholic institutions across the state.
The Catholic Church calls for honoring and protecting the dignity of human life at all stages until natural death, which makes assisted suicide a direct contrast to the respect for life. It not only threatens the lives of the sick and dying, but also the lives of other vulnerable people. As efforts to legalize or expand assisted suicide continue to surface both in Michigan and elsewhere, this edition of Focus addresses why assisted suicide should be opposed and shows what true compassion for the suffering and dying looks like.
The latest edition of MCC’s Focus publication shares how the Catholic Church in Michigan works to protect children and prevent abuse. In this edition, meet the dedicated professionals working for the Church who oversee safe environment programs for parishes and schools, as well as the victim assistance coordinators who serve abuse survivors and assist them with the resources they need to heal. Read and watch this edition of Focus to learn how the Church is working to heal from the clergy abuse scandal and about the progress that has been made.
Amidst the ongoing news of mass shootings and gun deaths across the country, the latest edition of Focus explores the issue of gun violence and offers a Catholic response as public policymakers continue to propose and enact gun safety legislation, including here in Michigan. The intention behind this Focus is to demonstrate why gun violence is an issue of public concern, inform Catholics about the Church's stances on gun policies, and to invite Catholics to look at gun violence from the perspective of the Church’s social principles.
This edition of FOCUS presents MCC’s latest edition of its Blueprint for the Common Good, which lays out the policies MCC will advocate for during the 2023–2024 legislative session and is comprised of nine advocacy principles that originate from Catholic social teaching and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This fall, Catholics in Michigan are urged to vote no on Proposal 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow unregulated, unlimited abortion in our state. This issue of focus will explain what Proposal 3 would do and why it is dangerous for Michigan. It will empower you to talk with your friends and family about why this amendment must be defeated. This edition will also equip Catholics with the principles rooted in the Church’s rich teachings on social justice that are helpful to making a well-informed vote on the entire general election ballot.
The Advocacy Reports are published at the conclusion of each two-year legislative session and summarize MCC’s public policy and communication advocacy work across the nine advocacy principles that guide MCC’s involvement in legislative issues.
Over the course of the 2019–2020 state legislative session, Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) worked diligently with lawmakers and legislative staff of both political parties to advance the common good. In a February report, MCC details its advocacy work from the past two years and highlights critical legislative achievements for Michiganders, especially those that recognize the dignity of the human person and address the needs of the vulnerable.