IMPORTANT DATES FOR VOTING
Polls in Iowa will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8. An ID will be required. Oct. 19 is the first day for in-person voting.
If you plan to vote absentee, you should mail in your request for a ballot right now. Monday, Oct. 24 is the deadline to pre-register for voting and the deadline to request an absentee ballot. There’s more information at voterready.iowa.gov.
IOWA BISHOPS RELEASE NEW VIDEOS ON FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP
The bishops of Iowa are posting videos on our social media and website on how Catholics can participate in the political process. Dubuque Archbishop Michael Jackels has a message on voting: "Vote for someone who will do the most good or the least harm." Bishop Walker Nickless from Sioux City encourages a "better kind of politics," based on the common good.
As we get closer to Election Day, other videos are scheduled to follow.
BISHOPS RENEW PLEA FOR LEGISLATIVE SOLUTION FOR DACA RECIPIENTS
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently issued its decision in Texas v. United States, affirming a lower court’s ruling that deemed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to be unlawful. The decision comes after the Biden Administration appealed a July 2021 decision that has halted adjudication of all new DACA applications and threatens protection for current beneficiaries. The appellate court’s decision returns the case to the district court to consider the impact of regulations published by the Department of Homeland Security on August 30 to codify the program.
DACA, which was implemented in 2012, allows certain undocumented individuals who were brought to the United States as children - commonly known as “Dreamers” - to remain in the country. The current DACA population includes nearly 600,000 active recipients, with over 80,000 first-time applications sitting unprocessed. DACA does not provide beneficiaries with legal status or create a pathway to citizenship, but it does offer temporary protection from removal and eligibility to apply for work authorization.
There are multiple bills pending before the U.S. Congress that would provide permanent relief to Dreamers, including the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) and the Dream Act (S. 264), both of which have been endorsed by the USCCB.
MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN ON ABORTION LAWS
There’s been a lot of misinformation being spread about women’s health and abortion laws. Click here for the truth.
Marking 100 days since the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said, “The Catholic Church recognizes that all people, born and unborn, have been created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore have inherent dignity, and the right to life. When a woman is carrying a child, both mother and child are valued and should be protected, and the life of one should not be set against the life of another.
“Mothers should also be protected and supported, and we all have a responsibility to stand with mothers in need and provide the material and emotional support necessary to allow mothers, children, and families to live in dignity. In the post-Roe world, we must act in radical solidarity with the pregnant woman and her child, as we work and pray for the day when abortion is unthinkable.”