NEWS FEATURE: Bishops push policy concerns with GOP, Democrat platform committees

c. 1996 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ The Republican and Democratic parties should resist any effort to give support to same-sex marriages or other policies that would change the definition of the family, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops said Tuesday (July 9).”We oppose all policies and legislation which dilute the central place of family and marriage […]

c. 1996 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ The Republican and Democratic parties should resist any effort to give support to same-sex marriages or other policies that would change the definition of the family, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops said Tuesday (July 9).”We oppose all policies and legislation which dilute the central place of family and marriage or seek to change their definitions,”the bishops said.

The bishops said that support for families and family life is”foundational”to the well-being of society.”Because of this foundational role of the family we seek to promote government policies which affirm the family and help it to stay together as a union of husband and wife, of gifts of God and married life’s greatest blessing, children,”the bishops said.


The comments were made by the U.S. Catholic Conference in identical 20-page statements prepared for the platform committees of the Republican and Democratic parties, groups that fashion the policy prior to presidential nominating conventions and the fall presidential campaign.

The U.S. Catholic Conference is the social policy and action arm of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Like dozens, if not hundreds of other groups, the conference presents its stance on public policy positions every four years to the platform committees.

Spokesmen from each party had no immediate comment on the statement.

The 20-page memorandum draws heavily on the bishops’ quadrennial Political Responsibility Statement, a 32-page booklet outlining church leaders’ stance on a gamut of issues from abortion and arms control to human rights and welfare.

In the statement, the bishops defended their involvement in the political process but stressed that they were speaking as non-partisan”pastors and moral teachers … who have strong convictions about human life and dignity, about justice and peace.” The statement breaks no new ground on the positions the church has lobbied for on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures over the past four years.

At the heart of their policy concerns, the bishops said, is the notion of the common good and a concern for life.”We insist that any political platform should be measured by how it touches the human person, whether it enhances or diminishes human life, human dignity and human rights; and how it advances the common good,”they said.

Although political party platforms are usually rubber-stamped creations that reflect the views of the party’s presidential candidate, Republicans and Democrats this year could face intra-party fights on an issue of overriding importance to the bishops _ abortion.

Bob Dole, the presumptive GOP presidential candidate, has generated a fierce debate among Republicans by suggesting that the party plank on abortion be linked to a”tolerance”statement that recognizes not all Republicans share the the hardline GOP opposition and by indicating that despite his own opposition to abortion, he could accept a supporter of abortion rights as a vice-presidential running mate.


Abortion opponents in the Democratic party, still irked at the decision to bar then-Gov. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, an ardent abortion foe, from addressing the 1992 convention, have called for a tolerance plank to be added to their own party’s platform that would accommodate those who differ with longstanding Democratic support for abortion rights.

In their statement to the two platform committees, the bishops reaffirmed their longstanding opposition to abortion and voiced support for a constitutional amendment that would outlaw the procedure _ a view that mirrors the Republican stance.

Other highlights of the bishops’ policy issues included:

_ Support for a U.S. ban on the use of anti-personnel land mines as a sign of leadership in negotiating a global ban on the weapon.

_ Opposition to the death penalty, which it said,”further erodes respect for human life”and”continues to be used disproportionately against the poor, the indigent, and racial minorities.”The death penalty should”only be used when there is no alternative available.” _ Support for full enforcement of civil rights laws.”Actions taken in the recent past which have served to dilute or eliminate civil rights protections should be remedied.” _ Support for federal and state laws that allow and financially aid parents to send their children to religious schools.

_ Support for environmental policies that”place the needs of the poor as a priority through a more just and more equitable sharing of the earth’s resources.” _ Opposition to measures that would restrict the eligibility of immigrants to federal benefits.

_ Support for an easing of the embargo against Cuba coupled with improvements in the Castro regime’s human rights performance.


_ Opposition to welfare reform proposals that unravel the social safety net, including the currently proposed measure that would deny aid to unmarried women _ and their children _ who become pregnant while on welfare.

MJP END ANDERSON

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