A message from the diocese of Manchester:

Friends - Thank you to all who were able to come to Concord on Wednesday for the hearing on CACR 14 or who contacted legislators about that proposal. Representatives' Hall at the State House was almost full for the hearing, and virtually everyone who was there in the Hall came there to oppose the CACR. Great work, all! The letter that we submitted to the Committee is here. I also want to ask for your help on two bills that are having hearings this coming week. The first is HB 1675, creating the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. This bill says that "any born alive infant, including one born in the course of an abortion, shall be treated as a legal person under the laws of this state, with the same rights to medically appropriate and reasonable care and treatment." We support HB 1675. The hearing on this is Wednesday Jan. 29 at 1 PM in Representatives' Hall in the State House. The second is HB 1678, establishing the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act. Under HB 1678, state law would prohibit abortions from being done where the person performing the abortion knows that the abortion is being sought "solely because of the sex of the unborn child", because the unborn child "has been diagnosed with Down syndrome or a potential for Down syndrome", or because the unborn child "has been diagnosed with a genetic abnormality or a potential for a genetic abnormality". We support HB 1678. The hearing is at 2 PM on Wednesday, following the hearing on HB 1675. I think that the reasons behind both of these bills speak for themselves. I am asking those of you who can be there on Wednesday to come back to Concord and show support for these two bills. If you cannot attend, please contact the members of the House Judiciary Committee to let them know of your support for these bills. (By the way, please remember that if you call legislators, by all means only do that at a time when you yourself would not mind getting a call. And of course please be respectful and courteous in all your communications. All of our legislators, regardless of political party or philosophy, are public servants who are doing this job as volunteers on our behalf. The members of the House Judiciary Committee, for instance, are dealing with almost 50 House bills this year). Finally, a look ahead to Wednesday, Feb. 12. On that day, at 1 PM, there will be a hearing on HB 1659, a bill to give state approval for assisted suicide. Please mark that date on your calendars and spread the word to your friends as well. I'll give you more information on that over the next week or two. Thank you, as always, for your commitment as a Catholic to the cause of human dignity. Bob

Robert E. Dunn Jr. Esq.
Director of Public Policy
Diocese of Manchester
153 Ash Street
Manchester, NH 03104
www.catholicnh.org ( http://www.catholicnh.org/)
(603) 663-0134
[email protected]