If Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal nationwide at virtually any point in a woman's pregnancy -- were overturned, the matter would most likely be sent back to the 50 states and require campaigns to restrict or outlaw abortion to be waged on a state-by-state basis. There's another life issue that's been the subject of state-by-state campaigns for 30-plus years: abolition of the death penalty. After the Supreme Court in 1976 allowed states to reinstate the death penalty, 37 states had laws on the books permitting the use of capital punishment, and nearly all of those states have executed a prisoner. Through March 5, 1,163 prisoners have been put to death, and another 3,308 are on death row.

Father Larry Snyder is an ambitious man -- not for himself, but for the poor and often voiceless Americans whom he serves as president of Catholic Charities USA. Facing the worst challenge to the U.S. and world economy since the Great Depression, he said in an interview with NCR, "Maybe with this opportunity to remake our economic system we can correct some of its shortcomings (that existed) before." "I mean the fact that we had 12 percent of the people (even before the recession began) living in poverty -- was that acceptable?" he asked. "Well, I don't think so." He added that even with the still-deepening U.S. and global recession today, he thinks it is still possible to reduce U.S. poverty significantly in the next decade.

Two years after an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws failed in Congress, Latino leaders have revitalized the effort -- positioning children who were left behind when their parents were deported as the new face of the movement. The campaign is designed to pressure President Obama to make comprehensive immigration reform a priority. Borrowing a page from the civil rights movement of the 1960s, supporters of immigration rights have taken their cause to churches, drawing upon the growing population of evangelical Latinos, who are strong advocates of family values. Nearly 1 in 6 Latinos in the U.S. identify themselves as evangelicals, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Only Roman Catholics make up a larger group.

The embryonic stem cell research debate is steeped with religious arguments, with some faith traditions convinced the research amounts to killing innocent life, others citing the moral imperative to alleviate suffering, and plenty of religious believers caught somewhere in between. President Barack Obama's order Monday opening the door for federal taxpayer dollars to fund expanded embryonic stem cell research again brings those often colliding interests to the fore. Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called Obama's move "a sad victory of politics over science and ethics." On the other side is the Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, a United Church of Christ minister and a professor at Chicago Theological Seminary. "There is an ethical imperative to relieve suffering and promote healing," she said.

Working out how to protect human rights remains a thorny problem, as recent events demonstrate. On Wednesday the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Sudan's leader is accused of being responsible for the murder of tens of thousands of people in the Dafur region of the country in past years. Bashir reacted to the move, explained a Washington Post article Thursday, by expelling many of the foreign aid organizations that provide assistance to the refugees, numbered at more than 1 million, in Dafur. On the other extreme, in Canada human rights tribunals are under attack for running amok.

In calling for comprehensive healthcare reform to be enacted by the end of the year, President Obama has set an ambitious goal - one that has eluded Congress for more than 60 years. Past efforts at reform have been stymied by the complexity of the healthcare system, ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats, and the inability to make trade-offs between containing spiraling healthcare costs and ensuring that every American has access to healthcare. But at Thursday's White House Forum on Health Reform, Mr. Obama declared "this time is different," saying the economic crisis has turned health reform into an imperative. He attributed the failure of past healthcare reform efforts to "special interests" who had their way over the "public interest."

Economists from Catholic institutions worldwide may differ in their approach to solutions for the economic crisis, but all agree a global strategy is required. The same economic scholars from U.S., Canadian and Australian Catholic universities also said while the Catholic Church may not be able to direct economic policy it can contribute most effectively by leading the charge in philanthropic endeavors that will ease the suffering of the most vulnerable caught up in the international crisis. "The key concern of the Catholic Church should be, as always, to look out for the poor and vulnerable, both at home and in poor countries," said Linda Nielsen, an economics professor at St. Mary's University College in Calgary, Alberta.

The latest battle in the abortion wars seems to be shaping up around the matter of "conscience clauses" intended to protect health care workers who refuse to participate in certain procedures such as abortions or sterilizations because of personal or religious convictions. Opposing sides in the debate seem to be preparing their best shots for and against the Obama administration's intent to rescind an 11th hour Bush Administration rule on the issue. But the precise target is not yet clear because the new ruling, expected any day, has not yet been posted. Once it is posted, there will be a 30-day period for public comment. Further clouding the lines is the fact that three federal laws currently exist to protect health care workers who have a conscientious objection to participating in certain medical procedures and a number of states have either enacted or are working on "conscience clause" legislation.

Prayer has become more common at presidential appearances under the Obama administration, including at nonreligious events such as stimulus rallies. The White House is acting in a deliberately inclusive, interfaith way that seems to limit opposition. Church-state experts say the policy, which President Obama also followed while campaigning, does not appear to be illegal because the White House tells people who lead the prayers to be nonsectarian. But some raised concerns about prayers being scripted or reviewed in advance. The policy, first reported in U.S. News & World Report, appears to continue a new White House approach to religion: invite piety and spirituality at every opportunity, but with a new emphasis on interfaith participants and atheists.

President Barack Obama's proposed federal budget, which would result in a massive transfer of wealth, received rave reviews Mar. 2 from representatives of a number of religious groups, some of which have long ministered to the poor and are among the first to witness firsthand the widespread effects of the current economic crisis. The Obama proposal, said Jim Wallis, author, activist and president of Sojourners, a Christian community in Washington, attempts to reverse a 30-year trend of growing inequality in the United States caused by policies that presumed that "enhancing the benefits of the wealthiest among us will eventually benefit us all. I think that has been proven false." For a long time, said Wallis, "we've thought that we did not have to take morals or values into consideration in making budget decisions" and that markets would provide sufficient protection to all. But concern for the common good "disappeared" under that thinking, he said.

Small towns, large cities, social service agencies and even the manufacturers of digital converters for television sets all expect to benefit from a piece of the $787 billion stimulus measure signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17. But amid all the mega-million-dollar transportation projects and infusions of federal cash for industries on the brink of insolvency, there are plenty of tax breaks and new funding for programs that directly aid poor people. Some of the more dramatic elements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as the stimulus is formally known, include changes to the federal tax code that provide $288 billion worth of tax credits and deductions to aid the poorest Americans. For example, a single parent of two earning minimum wage will be eligible for up to a $1,750 child tax credit, nearly double the 2008 limit.

A group of 26 Catholic leaders, scholars and theologians Mar. 1 publicly expressed support for the nomination of Governor Sebelius as the next HHS secretary. They issued a statement calling attention to Sebelius' successful efforts at reducing abortion in Kansas as well as the Catholic faith's long standing support for universal health care. Sebelius Feb. 28th accepted President Obama's request to become his Health and Human Services secretary. "As faithful Catholics we proudly offer our support to Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who has been nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services," statement read. "Governor Sebelius is a woman of deep faith with a proud family history of public service. We believe Governor Sebelius' record of building the common good, reforming immigration laws, improving schools, innovating health care solutions, and significantly reducing the abortion rate in Kansas, makes her an excellent candidate for HHS Secretary."

A Catholic congressman is protesting a decision of the House leadership to block consideration of two abortion-related amendments to the $410 billion omnibus spending bill for fiscal 2009. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., had sought to bar the use of taxpayer money to fund organizations that promote or perform abortion in other countries or organizations that support or participate in the management of forced sterilizations and forced abortion programs. The House Rules Committee voted Feb. 24 to restrict debate on the bill funding 12 federal agencies to one hour for and one hour against and to prohibit any amendments. The legislation passed the House Feb. 25 by a 398-24 vote.

Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is promoting legislation to repeal the death penalty in Maryland, has called the death penalty costly and ineffective and asked lawmakers to give it a "fair up-or-down vote." It's the third effort to repeal the law, after two similar bills failed in the Senate committee in the last two years. This year's bill cites the findings of the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment, created last year to study aspects of the law. The commission, chaired by former United States Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, found that the death penalty is racially and jurisdictionally biased, costly, and carries the risk of executing an innocent person. Speaking several weeks ago at the "Voices for Change: Death Penalty Repeal" discussion at Hood College, supporters of the legislation outlined the findings of the December report and urged audience members to lobby for passage of the bill.

Thousands of people protesting a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigrants by an Arizona sheriff marched through Phoenix on Saturday, toting placards reading "We Are Human" and "Stop the Raids." Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has dispatched deputies into Hispanic communities in the Phoenix area where they stop people and arrest anyone who cannot prove he or she is a legal U.S. resident. Under a deal allowing them to enforce federal immigration laws, the deputies have arrested more than 1,500 people whom they determined were in Arizona illegally. Latino activists and lawmakers call his program a clear case of racial profiling because only people who look Hispanic are targeted. Arpaio steadfastly denies the charge.

Even if the financial crisis is spread throughout the world, this is no time for discouragement, says the leader of Caritas Internationalis. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga affirmed this at a conference this week in Mexico, sponsored by the Instituto Mexicana de Doctrina Social Cristiana (Mexican Institute of Christian Social Doctrine). "The crisis is generalized but we must not be discouraged," the Honduran cardinal affirmed. "The Church isn't a dead organization and she responds in times of crisis. This time of scarcity is an occasion for growth, and solidarity is the solution." Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga called the Incarnation a manifestation of solidarity. And, he said, the Christian should never take an attitude of "let he who can save himself." Instead the faithful must hear Christ's call to solidarity.

Kathy Toepel is wondering these days about where the safety of senior citizens in rural eastern California lies on the priority list of the state's public officials. Toepel fretted that the recent elimination of nearly $100,000 in state funds -- some 48 percent of her budget -- has nearly devastated the senior citizen ombudsman program she oversees for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Stockton, Calif. The cut, part of the $500 million Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed from state spending in October to meet a budget shortfall, is small in comparison to others across the state. However, it's making a huge difference in the way Toepel and her staff are able to go about their jobs.

Denver Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput, on a book tour in Canada this week, stirred controversy with remarks about U.S. Catholics, who he says exhibit "a spirit of adulation bordering on servility" toward President Barack Obama, an abortion-rights advocate. "In democracies, we elect public servants, not messiahs," Chaput told more than 700 people in St. Basil's Church on the University of Toronto campus, the Catholic News Agency reported. Reaction lit up cyberspace, and it ranged from admiration for his defense of Catholic doctrine on sanctity of life to furious perceptions that Chaput is insulting Catholic Democrats and improperly meddling in politics.