Lansing Update:
Let Faith Inform Your Political Participation
Posted October 18, 2024
A Catholic Approach to Voting, Part Two: Let Faith Inform Political Participation
With the election quickly approaching, Michigan Catholic Conference continues its voter education efforts to urge the faithful to vote with a conscience informed by the truths of Church teaching. To further advance this message, MCC will take the next four weeks before the election to republish its election edition of Focus in four installments. The following is part two.
Living a life of faith in Jesus Christ is an ongoing process of transformation. Look no further than the lives of the saints; men and women throughout history whose personal conversions produced abundant graces. The Lord is inviting saints and sinners alike to come closer to Him, and to be mindful of decisions and choices that impact others, including those in the broader community.
Moving closer to Christ leads one to discipleship, where Christians strive to live Gospel values with hope, peace, and joy each day of the week—no different on a Tuesday than after Mass on Sunday. Living as a disciple in today’s culture takes effort and is sometimes challenging. The same can be said when stepping into the voting booth or filling out an absentee ballot.
The values, morals, and ethics with which Catholics carry themselves extend to civic participation and how candidates for office are judged. Those who commit to following the Lord seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help inform their choices. Candidates are then elected, who go on to make decisions about our communities, state, and nation.
Catholic voters should be guided more by moral convictions than by attachments to a political party or interest group.
How does faith apply to politics? And, should it? The simple answer is: Yes. The Church and her teachings shed light on important truths about human nature, such as the dignity and sanctity of every human life, the obligation to protect and serve the most vulnerable, and the purposes of marriage and family. These truths are not solely religious beliefs but also universal principles that all people can come to recognize through natural reason.
Every election season, some who are skeptical of applying faith to political participation claim—mistakenly—that a separation of church and state forbids such an approach. The vision advanced by President Thomas Jefferson was not to prevent religious persons or groups from participating in American democracy, but to maintain a wall that prevents government from encroaching into individual conscience rights and the religious life of citizens. For more background on this distinction, see the sidebar titled “Is There a ‘Wall of Separation’ Between Church and State?” found on pgs. 2 and 3 of this past issue of MCC’s Focus.
Freedom of conscience and free participation of believers in American public life was considered so essential (and remains as such) that religious liberty was enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. For Catholics, the Church guides the faithful to exercise their right to free participation in the democratic process by engaging in a period of prayerful discernment and conscience formation prior to voting.
MCC Advocates for Unborn Children in Tragic Life-Sustaining Treatment Scenarios
In tragic circumstances, maternal life-sustaining treatment should not be withdrawn if continued treatment could save the unborn child, MCC said in opposition to legislation that could lead to scenarios that result in the death of both mother and baby.
The legislation, Senate Bill 822, would change state regulations regarding patient advocate designations, which allows the designation of a person who can direct health care decisions on the individual’s behalf if the individual is unable to make those decisions.
In written testimony submitted during a hearing this week before the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee, MCC said the bill appears to allow a woman to have her patient advocate designation stipulate that life-sustaining treatment is not desired even if she is pregnant.
The problem, MCC said, is in making that determination in advance of unknown circumstances, and regardless of the stage of the woman’s pregnancy or of the likelihood of the baby’s survival. MCC noted that decisions on life-sustaining treatment in these difficult situations should be made contemporaneously based on the relevant facts and circumstances.
Current law does not allow a patient advocate designation to be used to dictate the withdrawal of treatment that would result in the death of a pregnant woman. But this does not require that every medical intervention—including those that are futile or disproportionate—be used.
MCC told lawmakers the Church generally recognizes that a person’s wishes for the use or withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures should be respected. At the same time, in a situation with a pregnant woman, another human life is involved and should be taken into consideration. If the baby is alive in these circumstances, forgoing treatment could also result in the death of the child.
Even in these tragic scenarios, the child’s life still has value and should be offered protective measures if care can be provided proportionately and without undue burden to both the child and the family.
Despite MCC providing its opposition of Senate Bill 822 to the committee, lawmakers still proceeded to pass the legislation on a party-line vote. Two Republican lawmakers voted against it, and a third Republican senator passed on the vote.
Senate Bill 822 was part of a larger legislative package intended to address disparities in maternal health. MCC did not take a position on the other bills, but did note there were many positive aspects to the remainder of the package.
The legislation is now on the Senate floor for further consideration.
Vulnerable Older Adults Could Get Personal Protective Orders Under MCC-Backed Package
To protect vulnerable older adults from abuse or exploitation, MCC offered support to a legislative package that would allow them to obtain personal protective orders (PPOs) against others who have harmed or could harm them.
Senate Bills 922 through 925 would set up the new type of PPO, which would include protecting the vulnerable adult from certain financial exploitation, or restraining another individual from harming or attempting to harm the vulnerable adult or his or her property.
The legislation would require a court to issue a vulnerable adult PPO upon determination of reasonable cause and specify what a court would have to consider reasonable cause. The bills also require the PPO to specify the actions it would cover as well as the penalties for violating it, and more.
Other portions of the package expand the definition of racketeering to include a person using or attempting to use a vulnerable adult’s money or property through fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, coercion, or unjust enrichment. The bills also stipulate that a person who fraudulently used or attempted to use a vulnerable adult’s money or property while that vulnerable adult was alive and continued after the vulnerable adult died would still be subject to prosecution.
More than 73,000 older adults are victimized by some form of elder abuse in Michigan, including scams and fraud, according to analysis of the legislation provided by the Senate Fiscal Agency. Americans over 60 lost $3.4 billon to scams in 2023.
The package unanimously cleared the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee and was approved by the full Senate this week in bipartisan votes and will head next to the House for further consideration.
MCC Pitches Targeted Tax Relief for Working Parents of Young Children
An informational legislative hearing on the state of childcare in Michigan allowed MCC to advocate for a transformational policy to deliver tax relief to working parents of young children, which would help them afford childcare while working to make ends meet.
MCC delivered written testimony this week to a Senate committee in support of the proposed Working Parents Tax Credit, which would provide a refundable tax credit to lower-income working families with young children, ranging from $5,000 per child to parents of children under the age of 3 to $2,500 for parents of children between the ages of three and six.
The policy is intended to help with the cost of childcare for those families that need both parents working to support their household. MCC is supporting this policy in the interest of improving family wellbeing and promoting opportunities for individuals to support themselves through work.
MCC presented its case for the Working Parents Tax Credit before the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee during its informational hearing this week on childcare in Michigan. Legislation has been introduced to implement the Working Parents Tax Credit in both chambers, but no action has been taken on it yet.
Student Reading Improvement Bills Become Law After Governor’s Signature
The Governor recently signed MCC-supported legislation into law to improve student learning by implementing required dyslexia screening to detect reading problems among students.
The bills—Senate Bills 567 and 568—were approved by both legislative chambers by wide bipartisan margins.
The legislation requires public schools to screen students in grades K-3 for dyslexia, as well as older students who demonstrate difficulty reading.
The bills also require that staff who provide reading intervention or reading instruction receive professional learning about dyslexia and instructional accommodations.
MCC supported the legislation and its intention to improve learning outcomes by addressing student reading issues, one of which can be caused by dyslexia.
MCC’s Faithful Citizenship Webinar Now Available on Demand
The online webinar on faithful citizenship MCC offered last week is now available for those who missed it or wish to share it with their parish or Catholic organization.
