News Releases
Statement on Passage of Bill to Enshrining Abortion in State Constitution
Date posted: July 1, 2022Following is a statement from Kristen Curran, director of government relations for the New York State Catholic Conference on the anticipated passage today of legislation to begin the process of amending the state Constitution to include abortion rights:
“Unfortunately, this bill solidifies the message that New York has been sending women for some time now: Abortion is positive, empowering, and the key to success. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Women, children, and their families deserve support and compassion. Baby formula is scarce, raising a family is unaffordable, and the fallout from the pandemic continues to take its toll. New York State should be pouring resources into helping women and families, not promoting abortion through limitless funding, advertisements, and splashy legislation.
“Our elected officials should stop promoting abortion as a woman’s best and only choice, and focus instead on true support for women, children, and families.”
In order for the amendment to become law, the bill must pass two successive legislatures and be put before the voters in a referendum. The Catholic Conference represents the Bishops of New York State in public policy matters.
A statement on the Dobbs decision by the Catholic Bishops of New York State
Date posted: June 24, 2022En español, aqui
‘We Give Thanks to God’
We give thanks to God for today’s decision of the United States Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This just decision will save countless innocent children simply waiting to be born.
On this historic day, our gratitude extends to the millions of heroic Americans who have worked tirelessly toward this outcome for nearly a half-century. Women and men, children and adults, believers and non-believers, people of every culture and background have advocated for life. They have been a charitable and compelling voice for the voiceless, and today, their voice has been heard.
As Catholics, we have prayed and fasted, held vigils, offered Masses, and peacefully witnessed in these last five decades. We have joined others in educating schoolchildren, opening pregnancy care centers, walking with mothers, offering post-abortion counseling, and marching, year after year, to the United States Supreme Court to witness for life. Today, our voice has been heard.
With the entire pro-life community, we are overjoyed with this outcome of the Court. However, we acknowledge the wide range of emotions associated with this decision. We call on all Catholics and everyone who supports the right to life for unborn children to be charitable, even as we celebrate an important historical moment and an answer to a prayer.
We must remember that this is a judicial victory, not a cultural one. The culture remains deeply divided on the issue, which will be evidenced by the patchwork of state statutes pertaining to abortion across the country. To change the culture and build a culture of life, we need to enact family-friendly policies that welcome children, support mothers, cherish families and empower them to thrive. We outlined our vision for a pro-life New York in our recent statement, available here, and we rededicate ourselves to helping every expectant mother to carry her baby to term.
Building a culture of life is not solely the responsibility of the government or those heroic individuals working on the front lines, in crisis pregnancy centers and other ministries. All of us need to respect the dignity and sanctity of human life in everything we do: in how we treat our children, spouses and parents; in the way we behave in our place of work; in sum, how we live Jesus’ two great commandments to love God and love our neighbor.
Love, charity and reverence for human life from the moment of conception through natural death – these will build and sustain a culture of life.
Millions of Americans have worked tirelessly for almost 50 years towards this outcome. We thank them with every fiber of our being. Their vital work continues, and we commit ourselves to it.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York
Most Rev. Edward B. Scharfenberger
Bishop of Albany
Most Rev. Robert J. Brennan
Bishop of Brooklyn
Most Rev. Michael W. Fisher
Bishop of Buffalo
Most Rev. Terry R. LaValley
Bishop of Ogdensburg
Most Rev. Salvatore R. Matano
Bishop of Rochester
Most Rev. John O. Barres
Bishop of Rockville Centre
Most Rev. Douglas J. Lucia
Bishop of Syracuse
And the Auxiliary and Emeritus Bishops of NYS
Statement on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen
Date posted: June 23, 2022Following is a statement from Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen:
“We are troubled that the Court has overturned a law dating back more than a century that has been largely accepted by the state’s population for all of that time. The duly-elected members of the state legislature could have at any time over the past 110 years revisited its policies on how it licenses individuals for the purpose of carrying concealed handguns outside the home if it was the will of the citizens of the state. It’s regrettable that the U.S. Supreme Court has now chosen to step in to do so. It’s important to note, however, that the decision does not overturn the rights of states to require licenses to possess handguns, whether inside the home or out. The issue was what the Court considered to be the subjective nature of New York’s law requiring the demonstration of a particular need above and beyond simple desire for self defense.
Statement on signing of abortion-related bills by Governor Hochul
Date posted: June 13, 2022Following is a statement from Kristen Curran, director of government relations, on Governor Kathy Hochul signing a series of abortion-related measures today, as well as one aimed at harassing pro-life pregnancy centers:
“At a time when women and children need more support than ever, we are disappointed to see New York continue to focus on promoting abortion. This package of bills seeks to encourage abortion tourism, rather than helping women and children who may be in need. As a state that claims to value autonomy and choice, New York should stop presenting abortion as the best and only option for struggling women, and harassing any pro-life pregnancy center that may help women keep their babies. This abortion-or-nothing narrative only demeans women.”
The Catholic Conference represents the Bishops of New York State in public policy matters.
New York State Bishops Release Major New Statement on Abortion
Date posted: May 12, 2022The Catholic Bishops of New York State have released a major new statement on abortion as they anticipate the looming Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, and “the gathering societal unrest over the issue of abortion.” (The full statement is available HERE and in a printable PDF suitable for parish distribution is HERE.)
In the statement titled, “Toward a Pro-Life Future in the Empire State,” the Bishops acknowledge that, regardless of what the Court decides in Dobbs, “abortion in New York would continue unfettered.” They say that Catholics must respond “in charity and with sensitivity, but with clarity” to those for whom the prospect of an overturning of Roe v. Wade has led to “fear and anxiety,” and in particular to women facing sometimes overwhelming challenges of unplanned pregnancies.
The Bishops address head-on the false notion that the Church is more concerned with the baby in the womb than with the mother and child once he or she is born, and announce a renewed pastoral effort, challenging every Catholic entity in the state to join them:
“As far back as the 1980s, the late John Cardinal O’Connor, a giant of the pro-life movement, made a pledge that we reaffirm today: Any woman – regardless of age, religious belief or affiliation, marital status or immigration status – who is pregnant and in need, can come to the Catholic Church and we will give you the services and supports you need to carry your baby to term, regardless of your ability to pay. Furthermore, we will not abandon you and your baby after delivery, but, rather, we will see to it that you have the resources that you and your child both need and deserve. No one will be turned away from life-affirming care. If you have had an abortion that you regret, whether recently or in the distant past, please come to us as well, so that we may offer you services to help you to heal.
“We ask every Catholic parish, every Catholic Charities program, every Catholic health facility, every Catholic school, every Catholic college and university, and every religious community in our state to proactively engage with us in this pastoral effort.”
To that end, the Bishops have launched a new pregnancy resources page, Help for Moms, at www.nyscatholic.org/helpformoms, where women can find services available to them. The page will be continually updated with new resources.
Finally, the Bishops call on elected officials to work toward a New York that is more supportive of women in crisis pregnancies, and to gear public policies away from continually seeking to increase abortions and toward helping those “who might well make a different choice, if only they were aware of and had other options.” The Bishops then present a list of 12 aspirational statements of what such a New York might look like. Over the coming days, the New York State Catholic Conference’s social media platforms will highlight each of the aspirational statements, with the hashtags #WeEnvision and #HelpForMoms.
“Let us work toward making New York a state where even if abortion is not illegal, it will one day be unthinkable.,” the Bishops conclude.
The statement is signed by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York, and Bishops Edward B. Scharfenberger of Albany, Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn, Michael W. Fisher of Buffalo, Terry R. LaValley of Ogdensburg, Salvatore R. Matano of Rochester, John O. Barres of Rockville Centre, and Douglas J. Lucia of Syracuse, on behalf of all of the state’s bishops, including auxiliary and emeritus bishops.
Statement on Gov. Hochul using $35 million in taxpayer funds to increase abortions in NYS
Date posted: May 10, 2022“Governor Hochul’s announcement that she is going to immediately redirect $35 million in taxpayer dollars to enable abortion clinics to expand their capacity to perform even more abortions is a grave misuse of state resources and an insult to millions of pro-life New Yorkers. Inviting women from out of state to come here to abort their unborn children is a breathtaking reminder of how far our culture has fallen.
“We must ask again, when will New York lawmakers begin to dedicate even a fraction of their rhetoric and policies to supporting women who want and need the resources to keep their babies? In this month of Mary, the Bishops of New York State urge all Catholic New Yorkers to pray through her intercession for a change of heart for all elected officials, particularly those who profess the Catholic faith, and for a building up of a Culture of Life in our state.”
Take action to urge Governor Hochul to halt abortion fund!
The Catholic Conference represents the Bishops of New York State in public policy matters.
Statement on so-called ‘Abortion Access Fund’
Date posted: May 9, 2022Following is a statement from Kristen E. Curran, director of government relations for the New York State Catholic Conference, on a proposal by Attorney General Letitia James and state lawmakers to create a fund to pay for abortions for out-of-state residents who come to New York for the procedure:
“New York is the undisputed abortion capital of the country, where virtually no New Yorker has to pay for an abortion. Abortion coverage is mandated in all commercial insurance plans without any copays, and New York is one of the few states to use state taxpayer funds through Medicaid to provide full coverage for abortions.
“Now some officials want to make abortion a tourism industry, like Broadway or Niagara Falls, for out-of-state residents. This is appalling.
“We believe the state should focus on its own residents and making New York a more welcoming culture for women in crisis pregnancies who would choose to keep their babies if only they had the supports and resources they deserve.”