October 7, 2018 - "Faithful Citizenship Quiz Answers"

Last week I published a quiz that had been prepared by the United States Conference on Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on Faithful Citizenship.  This week I am giving the answers for the first ten questions owing to space requirements.  I’ll give the answers to the last ten questions in next week’s column.  Are you ready?  Here they are!
 
1. How many unborn children have lost their lives to abortion since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973?           Answer:   C) 53 million.  There is currently no requirement to report abortions, and state reporting requirements also vary from one state to another.  The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute (GI) use different methods of data collection.  GI (originally founded as Planned Parenthood’s research arm) obtains its numbers from direct surveys of abortion providers, while CDC surveys state health departments.  GI’s figures, the basis for this estimate, are considered more complete.
2. How many successful treatments for “incurable” diseases have been developed using stem cells harvested from human embryos that were destroyed to obtain them? Answer: A) 0.  While at least two companies have started early clinical trials using cells derived from embryonic stem cells, one trial was discontinued after disappointing early results, and no trial has shown benefits for patients in peer-reviewed medical or scientific literature.
3. How many successful treatments for “incurable” diseases have been developed using stem cells from adult tissue sources, causing no harm to the stem cell donor?  Answer: D) 73.
4. How many U.S. children live in a household that is “food insecure,” which means it can’t provide enough food for its members at some point during the year?  Answer:  D) 16.2 million.  According to the USDA, over 16.2 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low security) households in 2010.
5. The official poverty rate in America is:  Answer:  C) 15.1%.  The official poverty rate in America is 15.1%--the highest rate in 17 years.  (United States Census Bureau [“Census”] annual report for 2010).
6. How long has the average jobless worker been unemployed?  Answer:  C) 10 months.  Approximately 24 million people (23.8) are unemployed or underemployed—a real unemployment rate around 15 percent and the average jobless worker has been unemployed for forty weeks—10 months.
7. According to a 2009 survey by the Polling Company, Inc., what percentage of American adults believed it is important to make sure that health care professionals in America are not forced to participate in procedures and practices to which they have moral objections?  Answer:  D) 87%.  In an April 2009 survey by The Polling Company, Inc., 87% of American adults believed it is important (and 65% saw it as very important) to “make sure that health care professionals in America are not forced to participate in procedures and practices to which they have moral objections.”
8.    How many patients who are hospitalized in the United States          are cared for in a Catholic hospital?  Answer:  B) 1 in 6.  Catholic hospitals care for 1 in 6 patients in the United States each year, and provide the full continuum of health care through more than 2,000 sponsors, systems, facilities, and related organizations, employing 725,000 individuals.
9.    According to a study released in the September 2011 issues of Obstetrics & Gynecology, what percentage of practicing ob/gyns perform abortions?  Answer:  A) 14%.  According to a study released in the September 2011 issues of Obstetrics and Gynecology, journal of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, only 14% of practicing ob/gyns perform abortions.
10.  Children raised in intact married families are less likely to: Answer:  D) All of the above (be physically and sexually abused, use drugs or alcohol, and become pregnant or impregnate someone as a teenager).  Social science research continues to affirm the benefits children receive by being raised by their own father and mother, each of whom brings unique gifts to the shared task of parenting, that is, fathering and mothering.  For an overview of pertinent research and more background on the Church’s teaching about the importance of fathers and mothers, see this link:  http://www.marriageuniqueforareason.org/children-faq/#q7.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John