In a brief statement issued from the USCCB Office of General Counsel, the bishops added, “It is also a grave affront to the millions of Americans who both reject unjust discrimination and affirm the unique and inestimable value of marriage as between one man and one woman.”

The Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman. Morever, no state must recognize a same-sex marriage from another state. As the bishops note in their statement, the law was passed 15 years ago by a Republican Congress and signed by a Democratic president.

In his initial statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said that “the President has concluded that given a number of factors . . . classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny.   The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional.”

Catholic News Service reported the response of the National Organization for Marriage, which has called on Congress to “get lawyers in the courtroom who actually want to defend the law, and not please their powerful political special interests.”

The Attorney General does note that President Obama has said the Executive Branch will continue to enforce the law until it is struck down.

In a September 17 memo, the USCCB counsel says that contraception and sterilization cannot reasonably be considered “preventive services” when:

1. Abortion is not a disease.
2. Most pregnancies end in live birth, not abortion.
3. The percentage of pregnancies ending in abortion is higher if the pregnancy occurred during use of a contraceptive.
4. Numerous studies show that contraceptive use does not reliably or consistently reduce abortion rates.

The USCCB also notes that “use of prescription contraception actually increases a woman’s risk of developing some of the very conditions that ‘preventive services’ . . . are designed to prevent.”  (emphasis in original)

Finally, the USCCB notes that any mandate of contraceptive or sterilization coverage “would pose an unprecedented threat to the rights of conscience for religious employers and others who have moral or religious objections to these procedures.”

The FDA has approved the testing of treatments using embryonic stem cells on humans. California-based Geron Corporation will test the use of embryonic stem cells on adults paralyzed by spinal injuries.

In 2009, when President Barack Obama rescinded President George W. Bush’s restrictions on the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research through the National Institutes of Health, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) noted that, “The federal government, for the first time, will spend taxpayers’ money to encourage the destruction of living human beings to obtain research material.”

As the Pennsylvania Bishops explain in Questions and Answers on Stem Cell Research, “Government funding would further encourage researchers to destroy human embryos. We must oppose the use of our tax dollars for research that involves the destruction of human life. ”

In the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II wrote, “it must nonetheless be stated that the use of human embryos or fetuses as an object of experimentation constitutes a crime against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same respect owed to a child once born, just as to every person.”

While embryonic stem cell treatments have not been associated with any successful cures, there are numerous successful treatments attributed to adult stem cell therapy.

According to a report in the National Catholic Register, a Seattle adult stem-cell researcher, Theresa Deisher, has sought an injunction against the expansion of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Ms. Deisher and others contend that funding for embryonic  stem cell research violates the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, which prohibits research grants that would cause abortions.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled that Ms. Deisher has standing, and the case will go back to district court were arguments will be heard.

For more information on stem cells, see Stem Cells Q & A.

While increasing identification with the “pro-life” label spans both sexes and all age groups, adults ages 50-64 and young adults ages 18-29 saw the largest gains.

In looking at two-year averages beginning in 2000, Independents and Republicans have become more likely to call themselves “pro-life’ while Democrats have increasingly identified themselves as “pro-choice.” Gallup posits that “the trends by party identification suggest that increased political polarization may be a factor in Republicans’ preference for the “pro-life” label, particularly since Barack Obama took office.” Pro-life advocates offer other reasons, including high-profile debates over the legality of partial-birth abortion and national discourse on President Obama’s healthcare proposals.

While Americans are more readily identifying themselves as “pro-life,” interestingly, polling on the morality of abortion has remained mostly unchanged with about half of those polled saying that abortion is “morally wrong.” Just 38 percent consider abortion to be “morally acceptable.”

In an introductory letter to their 2000 statement, Questions and Answers on the Eucharist, the Bishops of Pennsylvania say, “It is important that each of us understand the extraordinary and unique gift that is the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, given to us for our redemption and as a pledge of our eternal life.”

In answering the question, “Why is the Eucharist so important to the Church?”, the bishops say, “In short, when the Church gathers in worship of God and offers the Eucharistic sacrifice, not only is Christ really and truly present under the appearance of bread and wine, but he also continues his saving work of our salvation.”

The question-and-answer document covers the origins of the Eucharist, Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, preparation for receiving communion, and Guidelines for the Reception of Communion approved by the United States Bishops.

The full text of the statement is available online or in booklet form, in English or Spanish, through the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference.

The Annual Statistical Report on Schools, Enrollment and Staffing, United States Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools 2009-2010 touts a Catholic high school student graduation rate of 99.1 percent, higher than graduation rates of religious (97.9), non-sectarian (95.7) or public schools (73.2).

“[Catholic high schools'] effectiveness in educating students, even from disadvantaged backgrounds, has been cited consistently in research published over the last 25 years,” said  Marie A. Powell, executive director of the Secretariat of Catholic Education of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). “The Catholic community can be very proud of their support for such schools.”

The report also states that Catholic school graduates are more likely to attend four-year colleges than students graduating from other religious and non-sectarian schools. Additionally, 84.7 percent of Catholic school graduates go on to attend four-year colleges while only 44.1 percent of public school graduates do.

Substantial increases were seen in Asia (15.61%), Africa (33%), Oceania (11.39%)and the Americas (10.93%) while Europe’s modest increase (1.17%)  kept the Catholic population there stable.

The number of priests saw a modest increase from 405,178 to 409,166 between 2000 and 2008. The largest gains in terms of priests were in Africa and Asia where their numbers increased by 33.1% and 23.8%, respectively.

The number of female religious worldwide, while almost double the number of priests, fell from 800,000 in 2000 to 740,000 in 2008.

Number of Catholics on the Rise

Among Americans aged 30-49 and 50-64, only 17 percent said all abortions should be illegal, while 23 percent of 18-29-year-olds held that position. Among those aged 65 and over, 21 percent would like all abortions to be legal.

According to Gallup, “This is a sharp change from the late 1970s, when seniors were substantially more likely than younger age groups to want abortion to be illegal.”

While Pennsylvania has a  Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), it is vulnerable to re-interpretation by the courts, as has occurred in Iowa and California. Senate Bill 707 is the first step in making sure that does not happen in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Bishops issued “Human Sexuality, Marriage, and Same-Sex Unions” in 1994 to help explain the Church’s understanding of marriage and sexuality. The Pennslvania Bishops say that, “Marriage, as instituted by God and supported by the needs of human nature, is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of one man and one woman joined in an intimate communion of life and love.”

In their November 2009 statement, “Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops  (USCCB) says, ”It is precisely the difference between man and woman that makes possible this unique communion of persons, the unique partnership of life and love that is marriage. A man and woman united in marriage as  husband and wife serve as a symbol of both life and love in a way that no other relationship of human persons can.”

To date, 16 PA senators have sponsored SB 707. They are:

Sen. Richard Alloway

Sen. Michael Brubaker

Sen. Jake Corman

Sen. John Eichelberger (lead sponsor)

Sen. Edwin Erickson

Sen. Mike Folmer

Sen. John Gordner

Sen. Richard Kasunic

Sen. Bob Mensch

Sen. Raphael Musto

Sen. Jeffrey Piccola

Sen. Robert Robbins

Sen. Joseph Scarnati

Sen. Lloyd Smucker

Sen. Donald White

Sen. Gene Yaw

You can find out how to contact your senator by clicking here. More information regarding the defense of marriage can be found at Pennsylvania For Marriage.

While the crowd last year was estimated at more than 300,000, leaders are speculating that there may renewed interest and larger crowds this year as people react to pending health care legislation that includes paying for abortions with Americans’ tax dollars. An international contingent is also expected to be present in tandem with an event sponsored by Human Life International.

Even many who cannot make the trip to Washington, DC will participate in the March this year by entering the Virtual March for Life. Just select your personal avatar, and send it to the national Mall!

If you do make it to Washington, where the weather is expected to be above freezing and mostly cloudy, the Solemn Vigil for Life Mass will be held in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2010. The Solemn Mass for Life will be held the next morning, January 22, at 7:30 a.m. Pennsylvanians should note that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Right to Life Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Justin Rigali at the Shrine at 10:00 a.m.

Pennsylvanians typically send dozens of filled buses to the March for Life, including those organized by Catholic schools and parishes. Many of Pennsylvania’s Catholic Bishops are also expected to be in attendance. Some events, including the March for Life itself and several Masses will be televised by EWTN.