Chris is joined this episode by Shawn Peterson, president of Catholic Education Partners, an organization founded by US bishops in 2017 in order to provide a Catholic voice in education choice policy discussions. Chris and Shawn walk through Catholic teaching on this topic, including Vatican Council II, which exhorted civil authorities to empower parents to be truly free in directing their child’s education by making available financial resources. They unpack the Catechism no. 2229, Gravissimum Educationes no. 6, and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church no. 241. They also discuss Education Savings Accounts, including the new program recently passed in West Virginia. They also discuss the reality that, in rural areas, a government school can be the cultural and economic center of gravity for the community; this in turn causes fear of “winners and losers” in education choice policy discussions. However, rather than creating winners and losers, Shawn says parent choice programs are truly win-win for both government and non-government schools — and most importantly, are a ‘win’ for parents and kids. See a summary of the research here.
Faith & Politics
F&P Episode 115: South Dakota’s Pivotal Moment on Abortion
South Dakota’s 2023 legislative session marked the first time that state lawmakers had gathered since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its June 24, 2022 decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and restored to the states the ability to set their own public policy on abortion. Host Michael Pauley is joined by Dale Bartscher, the Executive Director of South Dakota Right to Life, for a discussion on how state lawmakers responded to the Dobbs decision, and how South Dakota’s pro-life community is responding to a citizen-initiated amendment that proposes to create an unlimited right to abortion in the state constitution.