Articles by Matt Hadro
Senate committee splits on Becerra confirmation
Mar 3, 2021 / 18:00 pmThe Senate Finance Committee was divided on the confirmation of Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services on Wednesday.
Biden mentions Our Lady of Guadalupe, shows rosary beads, in meeting with Mexican president
Mar 2, 2021 / 09:00 amPresident Joe Biden cited Our Lady of Guadalupe and displayed his rosary beads in a conversation with the president of Mexico on Monday.
Female athletes can’t be silent when forced to compete with males, attorney argues
Feb 26, 2021 / 14:30 pmGirls cannot be silent when forced to compete against biological males in athletics, one attorney argued on Friday.
House passes Equality Act, which bishops warned would ‘punish’ religious groups
Feb 25, 2021 / 15:00 pmThe House on Thursday passed the Equality Act, a bill that the U.S. bishops have warned would trample religious freedom protections while codifying gender ideology in federal law.
HHS nominee won’t say if parents can refuse child’s gender transitioning
Feb 25, 2021 / 14:00 pmA nominee for assistant health secretary on Thursday wouldn’t say if government officials can intervene when parents refuse their child’s gender transitioning.
Health secretary nominee: 'I have never sued any nuns'
Feb 24, 2021 / 14:24 pmOn Wednesday, President Biden’s health secretary nominee defended coercive contraceptive and abortion coverage mandates against Catholic nuns, claiming he had never “sued any nuns.”
Former HHS official: Becerra must be questioned over conscience violations
Feb 24, 2021 / 09:00 amPresident Biden’s health secretary nominee must be held accountable for forcing California Catholic nuns to cover abortions, said a former official at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Health secretary nominee grilled on partial-birth abortion, taxpayer-funded abortion
Feb 23, 2021 / 11:00 amPresident Biden’s nominee for health secretary on Tuesday would not commit to preventing federal funding of abortions, and would not say why he once opposed a partial-birth abortion ban.
How a religious White House office could promote the common good—or politicize religion
Feb 22, 2021 / 14:23 pmAs President Joe Biden re-established a key White House faith-based office last week, former political liaisons to religious groups commended the move—but warned that the office might be misused.
Scholar’s critique of transgender movement reportedly de-listed by Amazon
Feb 22, 2021 / 13:00 pmOne scholar’s critical book on the transgender movement has reportedly been removed from Amazon.com.
Pro-life leaders sound alarm about Health Secretary nominee
Feb 19, 2021 / 08:30 amPro-life leaders and scholars are warning against the nomination of California’s attorney general to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
What happened to the USCCB working group on Biden?
Feb 17, 2021 / 15:57 pmA source at the U.S. bishops’ conference (USCCB) has disputed the notion that a special working group formed to deal with new President Joe Biden was terminated prematurely this week.
Amid controversy, Abby Johnson speaks at Catholic University of America
Feb 11, 2021 / 13:00 pmPro-life activist Abby Johnson addressed students at The Catholic University of America this week amid protests by students and alumni.
Analysis: The communion controversy could be far greater than just pro-abortion politicians
Feb 10, 2021 / 10:00 amAs U.S. bishops debate whether to deny Communion to unrepentantly pro-abortion Catholic politicians, there is a larger conversation happening that could impact sacramental practice.
Dodge City bishop under investigation for alleged abuse of a minor
Feb 9, 2021 / 10:13 amThe Bishop of Dodge City is under a Vatican-ordered Vos estis investigation over allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.
Pro-life movement ‘will be tenacious,’ House pro-life leader promises
Feb 4, 2021 / 19:00 pmWith a pro-abortion administration and a pro-abortion majority in the House, the pro-life movement will be “tenacious,” a leading pro-life member of Congress says.
Ryan Anderson: Church teaching an 'untapped resource' for responding to culture wars
Feb 3, 2021 / 10:00 amIn an interview with CNA, Ryan Anderson—a prominent speaker and author on marriage, sexuality, religious freedom, and natural law—offered advice for Catholics on discussing issues such as abortion and gender ideology, and pointed to saints who could serve as models for this evangelization.
Bishop McElroy: Some bishops making abortion a political 'litmus test'
Feb 1, 2021 / 13:30 pmThe bishop of San Diego on Monday accused “some bishops” of making the issue of abortion a “litmus test” for Catholic politicians during the Biden presidency. With the inauguration of Joe Biden as just the second Catholic president in United States history, “some bishops want to recast the presence and tone of the conference in the public order,” said Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego at an online event on Monday. These bishops, he said, “argue that abortion is not merely a ‘preeminent’ issue in Catholic Social Teaching, but rather constitutes the de facto litmus test for determining whether a Catholic public official is a faithful Catholic, and for determining whether the overall policy stances of non-Catholic officials can be considered morally legitimate.” He added that “if adopted, such a position will reduce the common good to a single issue.”
Senate pro-life chair: Down syndrome abortions are ‘eugenics’
Jan 30, 2021 / 11:00 amIn an interview with CNA this week, the Senate Pro-Life Caucus chair talked about new legislation to ban abortions on the basis of Down syndrome. He also addressed a top concern in the next two years—taxpayer funding of abortions—and discussed the March for Life and his founding of the pro-life caucus in 2019.
Why the Mexico City Policy is so significant
Jan 29, 2021 / 06:30 amThe Mexico City Policy was first instituted in 1984 by President Reagan. It is named for the location of the UN population conference at which it was announced. The policy has been rescinded by Democratic Presidents Clinton, Obama, and now Biden; it was reinstated by Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Trump during their presidential terms. Under the policy, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) cannot distribute family planning funds to foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that perform or promote abortions. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who has served as co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus for decades, was in office when the policy was first instituted. He told CNA that existing policy—the Helms Amendment—had prohibited direct funding of abortions abroad, but stronger pro-life funding protections were still required. “And the accounting trick that the pro-abortion groups were doing was that they would take the all of the U.S. funding and then tell us our money wasn’t being used to pay for abortion,” he said. “And then they would just fund abortions-on-demand, however many they wanted to do, and lobby for it.” The Mexico City Policy, he said, “was all about saying if we care enough about the precious lives of unborn children who are going to be dismembered or chemically poisoned by an organization,” then “we’re not going to let bookkeeping tricks and accounting methods prevent us from as much protection as we can possibly provide.”