Catholic Citizenship News

HB 1633 Update: Marijuana Legalization Defeated!

On June 13th, the New Hampshire House voted not to move forward with the agreement reached between House and Senate members of the committee of conference on HB 1633, the bill to legalize recreational marijuana in New Hampshire. The committee of conference had been meeting to iron out differences between the versions of HB 1633 passed by the House and Senate respectively. This means that HB 1633 is dead.

Deepest thanks to all who contacted legislators to register opposition to HB 1633 at any point throughout this legislative session. We should be truly grateful that New Hampshire will not be going down this road, a road that is so harmful to the common good.

January 17, 2024 – The Diocese of Manchester submitted written and oral testimony to register opposition to HB 1633, which would legalize marijuana.  

HB 1283 Update: Assisted Suicide Legalization Defeated!

On May 16, the Senate voted down HB 1283 by a bipartisan vote of 17-7. As you know, the debate around this bill was an arduous one. The outreach to legislators that was done by many opponents of physician-assisted suicide played a critical role in achieving this outcome. Thank you!

Here is a list of the Senators who voted against HB 1283:

Daryl Abbas, R-Salem
Kevin Avard, R-Nashua
Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro
Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead
Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry
Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst
Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester
Bill Gannon, R-Sandown
Carrie Gendreau, R-Littleton
James Gray, R-Rochester
Daniel Innis, R-Bradford
Timothy Lang, R-Sanbornton
Howard Pearl, R-Loudon
Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford
Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua
Donna Soucy, D-Manchester
Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard

Please contact them to let them know how much you appreciate their vote on this. It is especially important to do that if you contacted them in advance of the vote.

Please stay tuned to this website for ongoing news on the work being done in the public square by the Catholic Church in New Hampshire.

In order to defeat assisted suicide legislation, the Diocese is working alongside the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention, a diverse group that includes health care providers, veterans, and people with disabilities and their advocates. The Church teaches that suicide is always a tragedy and that a caring community should respond with hospice and palliative care to better meet the needs of those facing the end of life.

Testimony Against CACR 24

January 4, 2024 – The Diocese of Manchester submitted written and oral testimony against CACR 24, a proposed New Hampshire State Constitutional Amendment that would make abortion a constitutional right.