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June 22, 2011 |
Take Action Now!
Secondhand smoke exposure is the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Two bills that establish smoke-free policies in most public places (SB 28 and HB 46) will be before the Texas House and Senate as early as later today. Please ask your State Representative to support HB 46 and your State Senator to support SB 28.
Find out who your Representative is and his or her contact information here. Sample Message to Representative: "Hello, my name is Name and I am a Catholic in City , Texas and as a constituent I ask that you support House Bill 46, which establishes smoke-free policies in most public places. Secondhand smoke exposure is the third-leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. My Catholic faith teaches that the life and dignity of all human beings must be protected. This bill does that by protecting the health and well-being of Texans who must work in environments that allow smoking, or who are otherwise exposed to secondhand smoke. Thank you for your time. For more information you can contact the Texas Catholic Conference at 512-339-9882." Find out who your Senator is and his or her contact information here. Sample Message to Senator: "Hello, my name is Name and I am a Catholic in City , Texas and as a constituent I ask that you support Senate Bill 28, which establishes smoke-free policies in most public places. Secondhand smoke exposure is the third-leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. My Catholic faith teaches that the life and dignity of all human beings must be protected. This bill does that by protecting the health and well-being of Texans who must work in environments that allow smoking, or who are otherwise exposed to secondhand smoke. Thank you for your time. For more information you can contact the Texas Catholic Conference at 512-339-9882."
Please act by June 25, 2011. If you contact the office and this alert has already expired, you may ask for your legislator's position and thank him or her or express your disappointment accordingly.Please feel free to write to us at
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to let us know about your advocacy experience and about any responses you receive.
Our Catholic Faith
"A statewide smoke-free workplace law is necessary to protect the health and well-being of all Texans who today must work in environments that allow smoking. The need for a law is clear: Secondhand smoke exposure is the third-leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Thousands of Texans suffer each year because they are exposed to the more than 4,000 harmful chemicals in secondhand smoke. That is why a number of faith leaders, representing almost every major faith organization in Texas and more than 15 million Texans, have come together to support comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation in Texas." - Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, Diocese of Austin
As individuals we show respect for our own life and dignity when we adopt life styles that enhance our health and wellbeing. We should seek to reject personal habits that can threaten our health, such as smoking, excessive consumption of food and drink, abusive use of alcohol and drugs, and neglect of proper exercise. (USCCB, Health and Health Care). Read our Public Health Policy paper here.
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