News - October 2019 RSS Feed

On October 22, HB 265 (Grall) passed the House Health & Human Services Committee (12-6). The bill will be heard by the full House during the 2020 Legislative Session that begins in January. HB 265 and its Senate companion, SB 404 (Stargel), require parents to provide written consent before a minor receives an abortion.

On October 23, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted a stay of execution until December 30, 2019 to allow Mr. Dailey's newly appointed federal counsel time to present his substantial claims of innocence. Dailey was scheduled to be executed on November 7. 

Five death row exonerees made a trip to the Capitol to deliver a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The letter from Witness to Innocence, an organization of exonerated survivors of death row, urges a halt to the execution of James Dailey. The exonerees, along with many others, believe Dailey to be innocent of the murder for which he was convicted and received a death sentence.

November is Florida Adoption Month, a time to celebrate adoption finalizations, express thanks to the parents, staff and stakeholders who work throughout the year to find permanent families for children in need, and bring attention to the children who are still searching for their forever family.

TALLAHASSEE, FL (October 29, 2019) – Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) is pleased to announce that Ken Kniepmann has joined the staff as associate for health. Kniepmann will serve the bishops and Catholic health ministry leaders in the state as a professional resource person on matters related to health care. He will advocate on behalf of the Church and Catholic health care ministry on legislative, regulatory and other public policy proposals with particular attention to ethical and moral issues.

Governor DeSantis has signed a third death warrant since taking office in January 2019. James Dailey, sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of 14-year-old Shelly Boggio, is scheduled to be executed on November 7. If carried out, this will be the 100th execution in Florida since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the 1970s.

A parent must consent to medical and surgical treatments for minors, including ear piercing and dispensing aspirin at school. However, this is not the case when a minor seeks an abortion.

As Pope John Paul II wrote, "We need to bring the Gospel of life to the heart of every man and woman and to make it penetrate every part of society" (Evangelium Vitae, no. 80). Therefore, each October, the Catholic Church in the U.S. celebrates Respect Life Month with the goal of helping Catholics to integrate the respect life message into the life of parishes, schools and ministries. A new website developed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, respectlife.org, provides resources to assist Catholics with building year round a culture that cherishes every human life.

For many years, the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine has been a renowned landmark for pilgrims who visit from all over the world. It is America's oldest Marian Shrine, and on Oct. 11, Bishop Felipe J. Estévez made a surprise announcement that Our Lady of La Leche Shrine has been elevated to a National Shrine by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

As Catholics, we commit to live our faith in all areas of our lives, to pursue justice for our neighbors, and to protect and uphold the dignity of all human life. Each year during the legislative session, Catholics from across the state gather in Florida's Capital City for an opportunity to fulfill these commitments.