Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/load.php on line 651

Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/theme.php on line 2241

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/load.php:651) in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/feed-rss2.php on line 8
knights of columbus – RI Future https://www.rifuture.org Progressive News, Opinion, and Analysis Sat, 29 Oct 2016 16:03:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.26 Knights of Columbus cancel Deware fundraiser over abortion stance https://www.rifuture.org/kof-cancels-deware-fundraiser/ https://www.rifuture.org/kof-cancels-deware-fundraiser/#comments Thu, 16 Jun 2016 15:01:03 +0000 http://www.rifuture.org/?p=64565 Bill Deware
Bill Deware

A planned fund raising event for Bill Deware at the Knights of Columbus hall in North Providence was cancelled this week when the Knights of Columbus was informed that Deware, a candidate for State Rep House District 54, is pro-choice. It is not known who informed the Knights of Columbus of Deware’s pro-choice status. Deware says, “I am indeed pro-choice. I am an ardent supporter of a woman’s right to control her own body. I would argue any human being in any situation has a fundamental right to control their own body.”

Deware is a Progressive Democrat. “I got involved with the Bernie Sanders campaign regionally and it showed me I could be more active politically. Locally I was brought to action by the cuts to Medicaid (which impact me and my family directly due to my daughter having multiple handicaps) and the need for tax and ethics reform in RI. I feel people need to get involved in the political process and help restore faith in government. Then we can start to make government work for us again. What we have right now, is not working for us here in RI. We want and deserve better.”

As for his fundraiser being cancelled because of his pro-choice stance, Deware says that “There are many issues that unite us and I would like to focus on those issues rather than divisive ones. For instance; the Catholic Church believes in social justice, racial justice & economic justice, as do I. Jesus healed the sick, helped the poor and didn’t judge. These are areas I would like to focus on in my career and in my life.”

A new location, Lancellotta’s Banquet Restaurant in North Providence, has already been booked for the fundraiser and will take place on the same night, June 30th, as the original event.

Knights of Columbus did not respond to a request for comment.

]]>
https://www.rifuture.org/kof-cancels-deware-fundraiser/feed/ 3
License plate legislation aids anti-choice efforts https://www.rifuture.org/license-plate-legislation-aids-anti-choice-efforts/ https://www.rifuture.org/license-plate-legislation-aids-anti-choice-efforts/#comments Fri, 10 May 2013 02:54:41 +0000 http://www.rifuture.org/?p=22631 Continue reading "License plate legislation aids anti-choice efforts"

]]>
Licence_Plate2
Is Rhode Island the Louisiana of New England?

In the battle over marriage equality in Rhode Island, one of the most vocal groups in opposition to full civil rights for the LGBTQ community was the Knights of Columbus (KoC), a Roman “Catholic fraternal service organization.”

The KoC is one of the major, if not the major contributor to the National Organization for Marriage and a founding member of the anti-marriage equality coalition the Faith Alliance.

In the end, though the KoC could not prevent marriage equality, they did lobby for and receive a special religious exceptions for their organization. In essence, based on First Amendment arguments regarding freedom of religion, freedom of conscience and separation of church and state, the Knights of Columbus have preserved their right to discriminate against LGBTQ citizens, just like churches and clergy.

In January, Representatives Corvese, Edwards, Fellela, Azzinaro and Malik introduced legislation that “would authorize the division of motor vehicles to issue special license plates in recognition of ‘Choose Life.'”

House Bill 5053, allows the KoC to design new license plates in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, and further will allow the KoC to split the $40 fee with the state, generating a minimum of $18,000 for the organization. This money “shall be distributed annually to the Knights of Columbus Choose Life account in furtherance of one of their missions of assisting pregnant women and their unborn and newborn infants via non-government funded programs that provide free services that promote and support the alternative choices of infant adoption and Rhode Island’s Safe Haven.”

Just to be clear on what this means, the government will be assisting the KoC in its fundraising efforts that seek to prevent women from accessing safe and legal abortions, which the KoC does on purely religious grounds. At the point this bill becomes a reality, the “non-government funded programs” run by the KoC will in truth be at least partially government funded, a clear violation of the separation of church and state.

The KoC lobbied hard to have their facilities protected from the odious burden of hosting same-sex weddings, citing religious exceptionalism. There is no arguing with their status as a religious organization when they are seeking the right to discriminate against certain citizens.

The separation of church and state, however, cuts both ways. Allowing a religious group to advertise their religious views on our license plates, as a means of generating funds is an abandonment of the principles this country was founded upon. I’m sure the KoC can come up with better fundraising ideas that don’t require them to entwine their religion with our freedoms.

I would suggest selling bumper stickers.

]]>
https://www.rifuture.org/license-plate-legislation-aids-anti-choice-efforts/feed/ 1