Center for a Just Society

by R. Burge

The CMC relays to its readers its support for the House version of the health care reform bill which currently includes the Stupak amendment. They write, “Our conviction is that the U.S. Senate should follow the House’s lead in this matter as it considers its version of health-insurance reform…It’s also important to remember that we are not talking about restricting access to abortion in any reasonable sense of the term, but rather insisting that it not be paid for or otherwise sponsored by the federal government.”

Also, the CMC wants readers to know that Washington D.C. is inching closer to allowing same sex marriages in its city limits. The city council will probably allow the measure to pass and then it must be voted on by Congress.  The CMC argues, “The House and the Senate can – and to our mind should – overrule the expected passage of the same-sex marriage bill, simply because it violates the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which states that marriage in the United States is the union of one man and one woman.”

Finally, the CMC supports the Second Chance Act which was passed by Congress in 2008 but has yet to receive funding. The possibility of the program actually being implemented will hinge on the House-Senate Conference Committee that will be meeting soon. The legislation allows for the creation of rehabilitation programs for felons which will teach them skills they need in order to become productive members of society.