Bulletin

Dear St. Isidore Parishioners,

You may have noticed that we have been putting important information in our bulletin to educate our parish family about two upcoming elections, in August and in November. I want to briefly explain why we are discussing these elections so much and why these are moral issues to which Catholics should be attentive.

First, I want to discuss the November 7 election, at which Ohioans will be asked to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that will legalize abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. On July 5 the ACLU submitted over 700,000 signed petitions to put this amendment on the ballot. This amendment directly violates the core Catholic Social Teaching of respecting the dignity of human life. Therefore, the Ohio Conference of Catholic Bishops strongly urges all Catholics to vote NO on this amendment. If passed, this amendment would:

1.     Allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, through the escape clause of

       protecting the “health” of the mother which includes physical, emotional, and

       psychological well-being.

2.     Nullify parental rights of consent or notification for minors on any decision made

       regarding their “reproductive health.” This would include gender transition hormones

       or surgeries.

3.     Enable influencers by legally protecting anyone who assists someone in having an

       abortion or sex change.

Prior to the November 7 election, Ohioans will be asked to vote on a related issue. The August 8 special election is a vote to increase the threshold to approve a new constitutional amendment from 50% to 60%. While this proposal does not appear to be a direct moral issue in the way that the proposed amendment is, the passage of this first proposal will make it more difficult for the abortion amendment to pass. In light of that connection, all of the Ohio pro-life groups, led by the Ohio Right to Life, advocate voting YES on this amendment. Further, Bishop Thomas has asked that we educate our parish community on this special election/issue.

Finally, I want to make clear that according to IRS regulations, churches are not prohibited from advocating for or against election issues, but are only prohibited from promoting specific candidates or political parties. Both upcoming elections concern issues that are directly related to primary principles of Catholic Social Teaching, and our ongoing concern for the least among us requires that we speak out.

I strongly urge you to participate in the elections this year and in particular to see that the proposed extreme abortion amendment is defeated.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev Melwin Dsouza SAC

Pastor St Isidore Catholic Parish