To register to vote or change your voter info click HERE.
Visit https://www.sos.wa.gov/ and scroll down to ELECTIONS
to find voter and ballot details
and election results too.
Visit http://leg.wa.gov/ to find your Washington State legislators and their contact information.
The Catholic Church does not endorse candidates or political parties, but the Church does advocate for public policies that
serve the common good and align with Church teachings.
Click HERE to sign up for Legislative Advocacy Flocknotes (under the Pro-Life heading).
Meetings: 7:30pm, 2nd Monday of every month.
Next meeting: Monday, March 8th.
Email seans@digihammer.com for details.
The Washington State Catholic Conference of bishops has put out the following information regarding bills that are being discussed in Olympia.
To contact your representatives, you can use the following phone number:
Action Alert: Urge Your Representatives to Oppose Abortion Coverage Requirement | ||
Contact your two state representatives and urge them to oppose House Bill 1009 (HB 1009), which includes a new requirement that abortions be covered in student health plans. Identify your district and state representatives here. HB 1009 is currently on the House Floor Calendar and is eligible to be brought up for a vote in the House of Representatives. House Bill 1009 (HB 1009) expands the coverage of abortion in student health plans for colleges and universities. Any student health plan that provides coverage for maternity care or services will also be required to include equivalent coverage to permit the abortion of a pregnancy. The WSCC opposes HB 1009. | ||
Action Alert: Urge your State Senator to support SB 5180, Which Helps Trafficking and Domestic Violence Survivors | ||
Urge your state senator to support Senate Bill 5180 (SB 5180), which helps survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence. Identify your district and state senator here. Senate Bill 5180 (SB 5180) assists victims of sex trafficking, prostitution, commercial sexual abuse, or domestic violence by establishing a process to vacate, or cancel, convictions related to their victimization. This bill will help survivors rebuild their lives by clearing them of convictions that may hurt their chances to gain employment or benefits. SB 5180 passed through the Senate Committee on Law and Justice and the Senate Rules Committee. It is now eligible for a Senate Floor vote. Related to the bishops' legislative priority to respect life and the dignity of all human persons, the WSCC supports SB 5180. | ||
Action Alert: Urge your State Representatives to Oppose Expanding Assisted Suicide | ||
Last month we issued a separate action alert opposing assisted suicide. If you have not yet done so, please click here to urge your state representatives to oppose House Bill 1141 (HB 1141), expanding assisted suicide. HB 1141 increases access to physician assisted suicide and accelerates the process. The bill broadens the definition of a "qualified medical provider" who can make a diagnosis and prescribe lethal medication. HB 1141 also loosens the definition of those who can provide counseling; in lieu of a psychiatrist or psychologist, a social worker, mental health counselor, or psychiatric advanced nurse practitioner may determine if a patient is suffering from a psychiatric or psychological disorder or depression causing impaired judgement. Additionally, this bill shortens the minimum amount of time from 15 days to just 72 hours or less that a patient is required to wait between making a request and receiving a prescription to terminate his or her life. Bishop Mueggenborg of the Archdiocese of Seattle and Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) Executive Director, Mario Villanueva, testified against HB 1141 on January 18. View their testimony at 1:29:02. It is anticipated that HB 1141 will be brought to the House floor for debate. In accordance with the bishops' legislative priority to respect life, the WSCC opposes HB 1141. | ||
Action Alert: Urge the House to Support HB 1151, Which Bolsters Economic Recovery | ||
Urge your two House Representatives to support House Bill 1151 (HB 1151), which bolsters economic recovery. Identify your district and House Representatives here. HB 1151 aims to bolster economic recovery by providing assistance to families in need. This bill allows Consolidated Emergency Assistance to be provided more than once in a 12-month period when directed by the governor; provides a one-time cash benefit and transitional food assistance; and requires the Department of Social and Health Services to update standards of need for cash assistance programs. HB 1151 is currently on the House Floor Calendar and is eligible for a vote in the House of Representatives. In accordance with the bishops' economic justice priority, the WSCC supports HB 1151. | ||
Action Alert: Urge the House to Support Voter Eligibility (HB 1078) | ||
Urge your two House Representatives to support House Bill 1078 (HB 1078). Identify your district and House Representatives here. HB 1078 will automatically restore voter eligibility to individuals convicted of a felony offense who are not serving a sentence of total confinement under the authority of the Department of Corrections. Currently, convicted persons must undergo a two-step process to regain voting eligibility. The House Rules Committee passed HB 1078 on February 17, and it is now eligible for a House Floor vote. In accordance with the Washington bishops' restorative justice legislative priority, the WSCC supports HB 1078. | ||
Action Alert: Urge the Senate to Pass SB 5010, Concerning Credit Scores and Equity | ||
Urge your state senator to support Senate Bill 5010 (SB 5010). Identify your district and state senator here. SB 5010 prohibits the use of credit scores to determine rates for personal lines of insurance. The use of credit scoring to calculate rates for personal lines of insurance is unfair and has a disproportionately negative economic impact on women, low-income individuals, and communities of color in Washington. In accordance with the legislative priorities of economic and racial justice, the WSCC supports SB 5010. | ||
Urge Appropriations to Pass the Housing Stability and Eviction Prevention | ||
Action Alert: If one of your state representatives is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, please urge your representative to support House Bill 1277 (HB 1277). Identify your district and state representatives here. HB 1277 creates a revenue source for housing stability services for low-income individuals and those experiencing homelessness. It also creates funds to prevent the eviction of households likely to become homeless or who would have severe health consequences, or both. The House Housing, Human Services and Veterans Committee passed HB 1277, and it has been referred to Appropriations. Committed to affordable housing, the WSCC supports HB 1277. |
By Father Ed White
The controversies and confusion surrounding the coronavirus vaccines have forced me to write something to clarify the Church's moral position and encourage you to study the issue, both from a natural and supernatural perspective, so that you can make an informed decision regarding taking the vaccine. I write this with the qualification that I am neither an expert in moral theology, nor in biology, nor do I have sufficient time to do this topic justice, but as a pastor I owe it to you to make sure you are getting as much truth and information as possible to guide your thinking and decision-making.
The US Bishops have judged that it is morally permissible, with some qualifications, to accept the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, despite their having used aborted fetal cell lines in some of the testing of the vaccine. The AstraZeneca vaccine, however, is "more morally compromised” and “should be avoided." AstraZeneca apparently uses aborted fetal cells in the production of their vaccine. [An excellent assessment of the various vaccines approved and in process can be found at https://lozierinstitute.org/updatecovid-19-vaccine-candidates-and-abortion-derived-cell-lines/]
The moral qualifications that the Bishops define are these:
1) "A serious health danger" must be present to justify use of “a vaccine which was developed using cell lines of illicit origin..." and that
2) "Everyone has the duty to make known their disagreement and to ask that their healthcare system make other types of vaccines available."
Those working and living with vulnerable populations are well aware of the "serious health danger" that they are exposed to. The higher the risk the more justification and urgency is granted in taking these vaccines. Please remember, however, that you must take the vaccines mentioned "under protest" [my quotes], and "make known your disagreement" to your health provider. [See their moral reasoning and references below.]
There are some dissenting voices amongst US Bishops, namely Bishop Strickland of Tyler, Texas, who states, "I cannot in good conscience receive a vaccine that has been produced using an aborted child." [Link below] He urges his people to wait for an ethically produced vaccine. The more people who raise an objection increase the likelihood of a "clean" vaccine. Again, he is not our bishop here in Western Washington, so there is no juridical authority proposed here. But I do believe we should form our consciences by hearing a full range of voices when it concerns a grave matter such as this.
I want to offer a third, and important qualification, simply from a health standpoint. Again, I am not a virologist, but there is disagreement amongst scientists, which is a normal part of a healthy process of learning. Here is my additional qualification:
3) There are serious concerns regarding the safety of these vaccines that are being edited out (censored) by Google and other media outlets. I haven't had time to research those. Please do so if you can.
Censorship concerns me. Who made Google the arbiter of truth? Normal scientific debate is open and unhindered. Often an issue like this is grappled with by point and counterpoint, accompanied by research that contradicts or improves another's findings. The urgency and the quantity of money being hastily thrown at pharmaceutical companies does not promote objectivity. These companies have also sought and been released from much of the liability due to side effects.
The Washington State Bishops do dismiss any serious health risks in taking the vaccine, saying that while, "It is not uncommon to experience minor side effects from being vaccinated...the benefits from the vaccine exceed the burden." Initial warnings of side effects should be noted, however, especially of anaphylactic shock, which cannot be considered "minor side effects." Long-term effects are unknown. The younger the recipient the more dangerous this can become. I personally fall into the highly allergic category and would be at a higher risk of a side effect.
The reality is that you must make your own choice, based on your conscience and all the information that you can gather to make an informed decision. Like much of life, there is risk and reward to be weighed. I encourage you to not blindly follow the media, nor the government, in making your decision. Discern what the Lord is calling you to do with prudence and care. Any coercion on the part of the government or media should be resisted. With the Lord, we should have no fear. Form your conscience well and proceed with peace.
Associated Links from Fr Ed’s Article Regarding Corona Virus Vaccines
Statement of the US Bishops:
https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines
Statement of Washington State Bishops:
https://www.wacatholics.org/_ui/img/heros/The-Washingto-State-Catholic-ConferenceCatholic-Charities-and-Catholic-Health-Care-Support-COVID-19-Vaccinations.pdf
Statement of Bishop Strickland:
https://stphilipinstitute.org/2020/12/08/bishop-stricklands-letter-regarding-a-stand-for-an-ethical-covid-19-vaccine/