In the Catholic social vision, the human person is central, the clearest reflection of God among us. The life of every human being, from inception through each stage of development to natural death, is sacred, deserving of respect and worthy of legal protection. As we strive to achieve full legal protection for all human lives, we support incremental legislative advances, such as those listed here, as important steps toward this goal.

The Catholic tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred, but social. The God-given institutions of marriage and family are the basic cells of society. We support policies that strengthen the quality of family life, with particular attention to families with special needs.

Promote the Rights of Unborn Children

Enact the Unborn Victims of Violence Act

The Catholic Conference supports this legislation, which would prohibit the assault or homicide of an unborn child during the commission of a crime against the mother. more

Prohibit post-viability abortions

The Catholic Conference supports enactment of this legislation, which has been repeatedly passed by the New York State Senate, but has never been afforded a clean floor vote in the State Assembly. more

Restrict the use of taxpayer funds (Medicaid) for abortion

The Catholic Conference supports proposals that restrict or prohibit the use of state taxpayers' dollars for the purpose of performing abortions. The Conference advocates that the expenditure of these monies should, instead, be directed toward the goal of producing healthy birth outcomes and providing income security to decrease the perceived need for abortions. more

Protect the Health of Women and Children

Promote adoption as a positive alternative to abortion

The Catholic Conference supports adoption to provide stable families for abused and neglected children and as a positive response to crisis pregnancies. The Conference urges the Legislature to take action to encourage adoptions. more

Ensure informed consent for women seeking abortion and 'emergency contraception'

The Catholic Conference supports legislation that would require physicians to provide women considering abortion with information concerning the risks of abortion, alternatives to the procedure and the gestational age and development of their fetus. Doctors and pharmacists should also be required to provide information to women concerning the potential risks of emegency contraception to the woman and a newly created embryo. more

Oppose further expansion of 'emergency contraception'

The Catholic Conference opposes efforts to expand access to emergency contraception. The Conference opposes any legislation that would allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception over-the-counter to minors. more

Require parental notification for minors seeking abortion

In New York State, parents are required by law to give permission when their minor child has a tooth drilled or bone x-rayed, but they do not even have to be notified when their daughter is pregnant and considering the invasive surgery of abortion. Surely, parents have a right to know of a medical decision that could affect their daughter physically and emotionally for the rest of her life. more

Restore Respect for All Human Life

Maintain the state's current prohibition on physician-assisted suicide

The Catholic Conference seeks to maintain New York State's current prohibition on assisted suicide while ensuring increased support, resources, care, appropriate pain relief and treatment for the terminally ill. more

Repeal the death penalty

The Catholic Conference supports abolition of the death penalty in New York State to ensure that no more executions ever take place in the state. more

Promote adult stem cell research, and prohibit cloning and embryonic stem cell research

he New York State Catholic Conference of Bishops strongly supports ethical scientific inquiry using adult stem cells, umbilical cord blood cells and the newly-discovered iPS cells, in the fight against disability and disease. At the same time, the Conference strongly opposes human cloning of any kind, as well as destructive embryonic stem cell research, and supports legislation at both the state and federal levels to prohibit it for any purpose. more

Oppose efforts to further expand abortion

Because of the Catholic Church's fundamental teaching that human life is sacred from the first moment of creation, the Conference strongly opposes the radical Reproductive Rights and Privacy Protection Act (RHAPP). The Conference believes that every human life must be respected in law, including the woman facing an unplanned pregnancy and the innocent unborn child she carries in her womb. more

Strengthen and Protect Families

Oppose efforts to legalize the union of same-sex couples, whether called marriage or civil unions

The Catholic Conference will oppose efforts to legalize same-sex marriage or to grant equivalent status to non-marital relationships, and will support legislation to prohibit the recognition of same-sex civil unions and/or same-sex marriages. more

Reverse the state´s expansion of legalized gambling

The Catholic Conference opposes all casino gambling in New York State including casinos on Native American-owned land, as well as expanded opportunities for non-casino legalized gambling. more

Increase funding for services for domestic violence victims and their abusers

The Catholic Conference supports initiatives to increase both non-residential and residential programs serving victims of domestic violence and their families. more

Increase funding for counseling for addicted persons

The Catholic Conference recommends increased funding for programs that break the cycle of domestic violence by addressing the behaviors of those who abuse, including funding for counseling for compulsive gamblers, alcohol and substance abusers. more

Promote sexual abstinence education programs

The New York State Catholic Conference strongly disagrees with this decision, and believes that the abstinence programs funded since 1998 were contributing positively to the health of New York’s adolescents. Many of the faith-based providers of abstinence education in New York had been receiving positive program reviews over the years. more

Support legislation that prevents child access to firearms

The Catholic Conference supports measures to ensure the safety of children from gun violence. Among the measures needed are those requiring safe storage of guns, with penalties for adults improperly storing guns, enabling children to access weapons to injure or kill. more

Strengthen and enforce laws against obscenity

The Catholic Conference recognizes that obscenity degrades our society and basic human dignity. The Conference encourages vigorous enforcement of New York State’s obscenity laws, supports increased funding for prosecutorial/judicial training on obscenity laws, and supports legislative action to correct judicial misinterpretation of the current statutes governing obscenity. more

Encourage efforts to strengthen and preserve marriage and oppose ´no-fault´ divorce

The Conference supports efforts to strengthen marital unions and to promote stable, lasting marriages, and opposes "no-fault" divorce. more