State attorneys general threaten lawsuit over Maine abortion, transgender bill
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=274343&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The Maine State House in Augusta. / Credit: Wangkun Jia/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Mar 12, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).Over a dozen state attorneys general are threatening a possible lawsuit over a bill in the Maine Legislature that extends legal protections to out-of-state residents seeking transgender-related medical procedures.The March 11 letter, signed by 16 attorneys general, argues that Maine's LD 227 would "contravene the lawful policy choices of our states' citizens" by "imposing on the rest of the country Maine's views on hotly debated issues such as gender transition surgeries for children."The proposed measure, if passed, would offer legal protection to out-of-state individuals who seek transgender procedures in Maine. The measure would also extend legal protections to "reproductive health care services." State legislatures around the country have in recent months moved to limit or prohibit both abortion and transgender-related medical services.In their letter, the prose...
The Maine State House in Augusta. / Credit: Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Mar 12, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).
Over a dozen state attorneys general are threatening a possible lawsuit over a bill in the Maine Legislature that extends legal protections to out-of-state residents seeking transgender-related medical procedures.
The March 11 letter, signed by 16 attorneys general, argues that Maine's LD 227 would "contravene the lawful policy choices of our states' citizens" by "imposing on the rest of the country Maine's views on hotly debated issues such as gender transition surgeries for children."
The proposed measure, if passed, would offer legal protection to out-of-state individuals who seek transgender procedures in Maine. The measure would also extend legal protections to "reproductive health care services."
State legislatures around the country have in recent months moved to limit or prohibit both abortion and transgender-related medical services.
In their letter, the prosecutors wrote that the bill "purports to shield from liability those offering or aiding the provision of unlawful services to citizens located in our states."
They also argued that the bill "purports to block valid orders and judgments from our state courts enforcing laws upheld by federal appellate courts."
State Rep. Anne Perry, who first put forth the bill in the Maine House of Representatives, clarified to CNA on Tuesday that under the proposal, "a provider cannot travel to another state to provide services that are legal in Maine but not in another state."
"A provider working in another state must follow that state's laws," she said. "This bill only covers services that occur in Maine when both the provider and patient are physically in Maine and subject to Maine law."
The bill would further allow state residents to "bring a civil action in [Maine]" against out-of-state individuals who seek "civil, criminal, or administrative" actions against Maine residents over "protected health care activity."
The attorneys general in their letter argued that the measure "creates a private right of action for damages against law enforcement, prosecutors, and other officials in our states who are enforcing our own valid state laws."
The proposal's "ill-considered attempt to influence and intimidate officials in other states could also trigger a rapid tit-for-tat escalation that tears apart our republic," the attorneys general wrote, arguing that under the Maine law officials in other states "would be dragged into legal battles in far-flung jurisdictions, thwarting their ability to focus on protecting their own citizens consistent with their own duly-enacted laws."
"Maine has every right to decide what Maine's laws are and how those laws should be enforced. But that same right applies to every state," the letter states.
The prosecutors said they would "vigorously avail ourselves of every recourse our Constitution provides" if the measure ultimately becomes law.
Full Article
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=275455&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Father Leo Riley, age 68, continued to serve as a priest for years after a 2020 sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the Diocese of Venice in Florida. / Credit: Charlotte County Sheriff's OfficeCNA Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 19:18 pm (CNA).A Florida priest who was recently arrested on sex abuse charges was permitted to continue in active ministry for nearly three years after a civil sex abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the diocese in which he serves.Father Leo Riley, age 68, continued to serve as a priest for years after a 2020 sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the Diocese of Venice in Florida. The matter came to the forefront this week after Riley was arrested on several sex abuse charges dating back to his time serving as a priest in Iowa decades ago. The Charlotte County, Florida Sheriff's Office said in a press release that deputies arrested Riley in Port Charlotte on April 24 "on multiple counts of capital sexual battery stemmin...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=275452&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Facade of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons / EEJCCACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).One year after the Spanish newspaper El País published the report "Diary of a Pedophile Priest," which recounted the sexual abuse of minors committed in Bolivia by the deceased Jesuit priest Alfonso Pedrajas, journalists from ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, went to the South American country to look into the political implications of the case, how the scandal has affected the Church's image in Bolivia, and the response of the civil justice system.Pedrajas, better known as "Padre Pica," arrived in South America in the early 1960s as part of his formation process with the Jesuits. For 10 years he lived in Peru and Ecuador, where he allegedly committed his first abuses while still a seminarian, and in 1971 he settled permanently in Bolivia.There the Society of Jesus appointed him assistant principal of the John XXIII Insti...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=275451&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The members of the general board of directors of the Regnum Christi Federation, before its first general convention from April 29 to May 4, 2024, in Rome. / Credit: Regnum ChristiACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).The Regnum Christi Federation will hold its first general convention in Rome from April 29 to May 4, the first such assembly since its statutes were approved in 2019 after a long process of listening, purification, and a hopeful look toward its future.The ecclesial movement was shaken to the core by the revelation of numerous cases of sexual abuse and abuses of power primarily involving Father Marcial Maciel, the deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement.The Regnum Christi Federation is comprised of four vocations: the Legionaries of Christ (priests), Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members.Regnum Christi is now defined as an apostolic body and spiritual family led by ...