Dear Parishioners,

I just received an important message from the Bishop about a new law. He writes:

“On August 20, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed S2260/A2218 into law. According to its sponsors and the Governor’s Office, the legislation is intended to strengthen New Jersey’s protections for individuals seeking, providing, or assisting with reproductive health care services. Among other provisions, it expands existing “shield law” protections, establishes new criminal offenses and civil remedies for certain interference with reproductive health care services, strengthens privacy protections, and provides additional protections against certain legal actions originating in other states.

“Of particular importance to pro-life organizations and individuals is the new offense of “interference with reproductive health care services.” The law makes it a crime for a person to purposely or knowingly engage in specified conduct, including inflicting or attempting to inflict bodily injury, physically obstructing a person seeking to enter or leave a covered health care facility, intimidating, threatening, or coercing a person in specified circumstances, or damaging, defacing, or destroying property because of its connection to reproductive health care services.

“Since the Governor signed S2260, several reports and media accounts have circulated claiming that the new law makes it illegal to hold protests or prayer vigils outside abortion facilities. That characterization is too broad. The law does not prohibit peaceful pro-life advocacy simply because it occurs outside a reproductive health care facility. Rather, it prohibits particular forms of conduct—such as physical obstruction, intimidation, threats, coercion, or property damage—when the statutory requirements are met.”

I thank the Bishop for his clarification in this matter. As Catholics, we ought to protest and vote against these violations of the lives of the unborn. The government may make laws to intimidate us into silence. But ultimately, they have no bite if we follow the law and avoid poor, unproductive, and illegal behavior. So, I encourage everyone to be peaceful, civil and kind. But, do not use these virtues to avoid the duty to speak the truth and witness to the love of God in season and out of season.

I have prayed in front of Planned Parenthoods many times with many different people, and I have never seen anyone obstruct someone from entering or attempt to harm another person. If you would like to pray in front of a clinic with Catholics, then stay tuned to when our Right to Life Committee starts their 40 Days For Life in the fall.

God Bless!

Fr. Carter