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October 2025

Articles from Mercy:

Local Justice News & Upcoming Mercy Events:

Justice Resources & Links


Critical Considerations

Is it time to reform the Insurrection Act?

Karen Donahue, RSM

Donald Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act to justify sending National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon and Chicago has focused attention on legislation that dates back to 1807 when Thomas Jefferson signed the bill into law. However, what we refer to as the Insurrection Act today is really a compilation of measures passed between 1792 and 1871 that delineate the role of U.S. military forces in civilian law enforcement.

Because of their experience with the British military prior to independence, the founders were wary of military influence over civilian life. In drafting the Constitution, they placed the military under strict civilian control, making the president, not someone within the military hierarchy, commander-in-chief.

While the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits military involvement in domestic law enforcement, the Insurrection Act provides for exceptions. However, in 230 years, the Insurrection Act has only been invoked thirty times. Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson invoked the Act to protect civil rights workers and African American students attempting to integrate schools in the South. The most recent use of the Act came in 1992, when President George H.W. Bush sent federal troops to Los Angeles following the acquittal of white police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King.

Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer. However, Mark Esper, his Secretary of Defense at the time, publicly opposed the move and the president backed down.

One of the biggest problems with the Insurrection Act is that it is not clear about what constitutes an emergency that justifies its invocation. In our current reality, “Is it to protect federal law enforcement personnel? To enforce immigration laws? To police crime? To stop nonexistent riots?” Also, the sole authority to decide what constitutes such an emergency rests with the president.

In a recent article, Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law said, “This coming year, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence. At the time, Thomas Paine wrote, ‘In America, the law is king.’ In this surreal season of presidential overreach, we will find out if that is still true.”

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COP 30 in the Amazon & Raising Hope in Rome

Marianne Comfort; Institute Justice Team

Next month people concerned about international efforts to curb climate change will be keeping their eyes and ears tuned to negotiations going on in Belem, Brazil, in the Amazon rainforest. COP 30, the 30th convening of the Convention of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, will be held Nov. 10–21.

The most well-known international conference on climate change to date was in Paris, France in 2015. There, the nations of the world agreed to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” But their commitments to date fall far short of reaching that goal.

In Belem, nations are supposed to bring new, more ambitious commitments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing gaps in funding for countries most harmed by climate change.

Mercy Sister Rosita Sidasmed of Argentina was part of a writing team that drafted A Call to Climate Justice and the Common Home, a message from the Church in the Global South ahead of COP 30. Franciscan Rodrigo Peret of Brazil shared the urgency of this moment in this 10-minute video.

Pope Leo issued his own call for climate justice in his address to the Raising Hope conference outside Rome last month that celebrated the 10th anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si’. “What must be done now to ensure that caring for our common home and listening to the cry of the earth and the poor do not appear as mere passing trends or, worse still, that they be seen and felt as division issues?” he asked. He later suggested that “we must shift from collecting data to caring; and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles.”

At the end of the Raising Hope conference, participants made their own commitments to address climate change, in what will be collected together as People’s Determined Contributions to be delivered to COP 30 in Belem. Countries’ commitments are called National Determined Contributions.

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The dangers of falsely linking Tylenol to autism

Ryan W Roberts, OLF

Last month, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and President Trump declared that Tylenol’s active ingredient, acetaminophen (or paracetamol outside the U.S.), was responsible for causing autism. They have subsequently claimed that penile circumcision (and the resultant use of Tylenol) results in higher rates of autism. They claimed to draw these conclusions from scientific studies. Considering the medical community’s ubiquitous recommendation in favor of the use of this medicine, it’s critically important that the facts be understood. Mercy’s Critical Concern for Women calls us to be accurately informed so that pregnant people and all parents can make healthy choices.

Acetaminophen has been widely available over the counter in the United States since the 1950s and has been broadly studied. It does have risks – particularly for liver damage – when not taken according to directions, but it is known to have almost no risks when taken in recommended doses. On the other hand, untreated pain and fever can have significant risk for both parent and child, including organ damage and even death. The fabricated fear of autism could have the effect of creating a mindset where the parent and/or child’s death is preferable to life with an autistic child.

A critical tool in understanding scientific studies is the difference between correlation and causation. A study noticing that two things occur in the same population is correlative; such a noticing makes no claim that either one causes the other. A causative relationship is much more difficult to prove and requires exhaustive elimination of other potential sources of a correlation. Studies also need to consider confounding factors, those that could contribute to outcomes that were not evaluated in the study.

While a few studies do exist that may indicate a weak relationship between Tylenol use and autism diagnosis, they are known to be observational rather than experimental. Further, these studies used small subject populations and had a number of possible confounding factors. The strongest evidence comes from a Swedish study finished in 2021 that evaluated whether a parent’s use of Tylenol during pregnancy affected the autism rate in children. This study included nearly 2.5 million children and examined siblings who were not exposed to Tylenol during the pregnancy, eliminating a possible confounding factor. The study concludes that there is no causative link between acetaminophen use and autism, a finding reasserted in this obstetrician’s editorial from just a few weeks ago.

There have been only two studies appearing to indicate a link between penile circumcision and autism, and neither studied what analgesics (i.e., pain relievers) might have been used in the subjects. Both are over 10 years old, and both have been thoroughly debunked. Further, common sense would indicate that in places where circumcision is more common and treated with Tylenol should have higher rates of autism diagnosis. Canada’s circumcision rate (32%) is significantly lower than the United States (71%), while their autism diagnosis rate is nearly identical, differing by only 0.02%.

As an autist (i.e., autistic person) myself and parent of an autistic child, this is a conversation that rests very close to home. The causes of autism are not completely understood, but the scientific consensus is that the primary factor is genetic. Autism is heritable. It is not a disease; it is neither acquired nor does it have or need a cure. The autism spectrum is not linear (i.e., “more” or “less” autistic), but rather a huge variance in the way this neurodivergence is expressed in different people. Autism is always a disability – albeit an invisible one – because of our social norms, but autists are a natural variation in the way humanity has always existed. And Tylenol does not cause autism; parents should not hesitate to use it or give it to their children. Tylenol can save lives. Please follow your physicians’ recommendations and directions on your medications’ packaging.

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Article Archive

2025

October

Critical Considerations:

Is it time to reform the Insurrection Act?

COP 30 in the Amazon & Raising Hope in Rome

The dangers of falsely linking Tylenol to autism

September

Mercy sisters call for urgent defense of immigrants

Social extractivism

Critical Considerations:

What is Posse Comitatus all about?

Everyday pilgrimages: the Earth is the Lord’s

August

Critical Considerations:

Are we doomed to a perpetual nuclear arms race?

Love and care of creation in local ecologies

Church document ahead of COP30

July

Critical Considerations:

What’s at stake in Israel’s destruction of Gaza?

Have you heard of Black August?

DEI—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Mercy Life Gathering in Panama

June

Vampires, Sharecropping, and the Real History of Juneteenth

Protecting Children and Vulnerable Adults from Abuse in the Philippines

Critical Considerations:

What’s really driving border enforcement?

May

A letter to Pope Francis

Critical Considerations:

Is this really an emergency?

Trump’s attacks on women

April

The cultural battle advances

Critical Considerations:

What’s going on with tariffs?

Water extractivism in Palestine

March

Hope for Panama in truth

Deportation stigma in Jamaica

Critical Considerations:

Who benefits from tax cuts? Who pays?

April is SWANA Heritage Month

NETWORK webinar on U.S. federal policy

February

National declaration of emergency in Bajo Aguán

Critical Considerations:

Has the United States declared war on immigrants?

What energy emergency?

January

If you make a mess, clean it up! (Advocacy success in NY)

Youth claim climate victory in Montana court

Critical Considerations:

Was January 1, 2025 a wake-up call?

(click years to expand)

2024

December

Gender and climate justice

Critical Considerations:

Is the United States becoming a plutocracy?

Making nuclear weapons taboo

November

Critical Considerations:

What happened on November 5, 2024?

The Ecological Debt

October

Overturning the Chevron deference

Critical Considerations:

Who are the Israeli settlers and what motivates them?

Assassination of Honduran water protector deeply grieves Sisters of Mercy

September

God walks with his people: National Migration Week September 23–29

Critical Considerations:

What does CEO compensation say about corporate priorities?

Anxiety – election season can heighten it!

August

Critical Considerations:

What is Project 2025 all about?

Working to stop weapon exports to Haiti

Beyond Voting:

Participating in Elections, part 2

July

Critical Considerations:

Is there a better way to spend $91 billion?

Education, Agriculture, & Emigration in the Philippines

Beyond Voting:

Participating in Elections, part 1

June

Critical Considerations:

Are we creating a prison-industrial complex?

Conscience

Mercy student videos address the Critical Concerns

May

Critical Considerations:

Degrowth is the only sane survival plan

Argentina and the government of hate

Listening to a chorus of voices

April

Critical Considerations:

An Israeli Jesuit reflects on war in the Holy Land

Advocacy Success! Expanded Background Checks for Gun Sales

March

Military spending and national (in)security

February

The challenge Gaza war presents for American Jews

January

Gaza war threatens credibility of West’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law

2023

December

Climate Summit fails to adequately respond to gravity of climate crisis

November

Critical Considerations:

The dangers of conflating Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism

Red flag laws in jeopardy: faith voices speak to save them

October

Jewish and Palestinian perspectives on Gaza crisis

September

U.S. China tensions impact efforts to address climate change

August

When Good Economic Policy Isn’t Enough

July

States Move to Weaken Protections for Child Workers

June

Corporate Lobbyists at Climate Talks

May

Electric Vehicle Transition Challenges

April

Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery

March

Misrepresenting War

February

The Rise of Christian Nationalism

January

How the News is Reported Affects What We Know

2022

December

How Corporations Took Over the Government

November

The Independent State Legislature Theory Explained

October

The Next Phase in the Voting Wars


Local Justice News & Upcoming Events

Check back soon!


Mercy Justice Resource Pages

Peace & Justice Calendars

View last year’s grand prize winning video. (*Note: the contest themes have changed for 2026.)

The Mercy Justice Team needs you, a Mercy student, to create a short, social media style PSA (public service announcement) video – think Reels or TikTok – that reflects the Sisters of Mercy’s Critical Concerns. Put those creative ideas and video skills to work and you could win $500!


What does it mean to allow others to be fully human without judgment?

The 2026 contest theme is: Embracing Dignity and Respect. Through the lenses of the Mercy Critical Concerns and the Core Values of Mercy Education, use your video to engage one of these ideas:

How can we stand up with others or stand up for others?

How can we go beyond tolerance to embrace diversity?


To receive information, updates and reminders about this year’s contest, sign up here and we’ll be in touch. Click here to learn rules for entry and how to upload your video.

View the grand prize winning video from 2024. (*Note: the contest themes have changed for 2026.)

Purpose

For this year’s contest we are seeking short, PSA style videos (30 to 90 seconds) that are suitable for sharing on social media platforms such as TikTok or Reels. In an increasingly divided and polarized world, your video should reflect the charism of Mercy and connect to one or more of the Mercy Critical Concerns. Videos could focus on:

Why it is important to value or celebrate our differences

Encouraging support of oppressed or marginalized groups in society

A story of standing in solidarity with others


Contest Webinar

Coming soon!


Who Can Enter

Any student or group of students, high school age or older, enrolled in Mercy high schools, colleges/universities, or involved in a Mercy-affiliated ministry.

Use this tip-sheet to help you as you begin the process of creating your video.

Format

Read the complete rules

Length: 30 to 90 seconds

Language: English or Spanish

Other Requirements

1. Title. Each video must have a title. The title must be indicated on the submission form. The title does not need to be included in the video itself.

2. Credits. Credits must include the name of those involved in the creation of the video. The credits must also include citations for any images, audio, or text used in the video that is not original. The credits do not need to be included in the video itself, but must be included in the submission form.

The Sisters of Mercy may delete title and credit screens before posting videos on social media.

Entrants are strongly encouraged to use original footage and graphics as much as possible.

Important Note on Rules: In order to honor copyright protections, rules regarding use of images and music were updated for the 2022 contest and remain in effect for 2026. See the complete rules for details.

Deadline

All entries must be received by April 1, 2026.

Prizes

A panel of judges will use these criteria to select the winning video. Individual winners will receive financial awards. The Grand Prize Winner receives $500.

Winning entries may be featured on the Sisters of Mercy Institute web site and social media channels. Winners and their winning institution will be formally announced.

Interested?

If you think you might be interested in entering this contest, fill out this form to receive contest information and updates.

Past Winners

Click here to view all of our past winners.

These are some of the ways in which the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas will more fully live Laudato Si’ in 2025. To see the third year action plan click here.


Responding to the Cry of the Earth

The climate sustainability director will:

  • Estimate initial annual carbon emissions from utilities (e.g., electricity, gas, and water) and vehicle usage throughout the Institute;
  • Work with the solar installation company to implement agreed-upon solar and battery design for the Belmont, NC, solar array project; and 
  • Work with a contractor to stabilize the shoreline at Mercy by the Sea Spiritual Retreat and Conference Center to prevent future erosion from coastal storms and sea-level rise.

Responding to the Cry of the Poor

The Justice Team will deepen education and advocacy about the harms of extractivism to communities and the environment through: 

  • Engaging communities beyond the Sisters of Mercy in small groups using our Awakening to a New Consciousness on Extractivism resources;
  • Accompanying communities most harmed by extractivism, including through local extractivism immersion experiences; and 
  • Giving special attention to water injustices experienced by communities on the front lines of extractive industries, in partnership with Mercy Global Action’s water justice initiative. 
  • The Justice Team will organize immersion experiences at the U.S.-Mexico border to expand the number of sisters, associates, companions and co-workers who are educated about immigration policy and the reality at the border and connections between immigration and environmental and climate justice.  
  • Mercy Investment Services will expand and deepen the integration of environmental, social and governance investment strategies by:
    • Actively allocating capital to address diversity gaps amongst decision-makers and financial access within the Inclusive Opportunities Fund;  
    • Continuing expanding the emerging managers program supporting firms owned or products managed by people with diverse or underrepresented backgrounds; and  
    • Deepening Mercy Partnership Fund’s continued dedication to racial and gender equity as well as those that emphasize international opportunities.

Ecological Economics

Mercy Investment Services will:

  • Continue to ground our investment actions in seeking prophetic change in climate action and solutions;
  • Partner with other investors to engage corporations on water stewardship, greenhouse gas emissions, plastics use, biodiversity and other important issues; and  
  • Use our position as a faith-based investor to defend the rights of investors to choose investments that care for the Earth.

Sustainable Lifestyles

  • The Director of Climate and Sustainability will develop and update flyers to create awareness of and provide practical sustainable lifestyle tips related to meetings and events, office supplies and electronics, health and wellness, emergency management and sustainability on a tight budget. 
  • The Justice Team and Climate and Sustainability Director will continue the monthly Mercy Tips to Care for Earth

Ecological Education

  • Mercy Education System of the Americas plans to:
    • Revamp the environmental science course in its Mercy Learning Online program, specifically the water lesson, to incorporate resources from Mercy Global Action; 
    • Launch a monthly column in its weekly newsletter highlighting sustainability initiatives across Mercy schools;
    • Enhance sustainability efforts at meetings and events by being mindful of supplies ordered and encouraging participants to bring reusable water bottles; and 
    • Promote active participation in Laudato Si pilgrimages across the schools.
  • A Mercy associate in Guyana will socialize her guidebook and set of advocacy tools for communities to understand the risks of the growing oil and gas industry in her country, and that will become a template for similar education elsewhere.
  • The Climate and Sustainability Director will visit the sisters and staff to discuss concerns related to climate and sustainability as well as ongoing projects, and also serve as a resource for Mercy ministries and other religious congregations.
  • The Justice Team will invite Mercy high school, college and university students to submit short videos on reducing consumption to better care for earth and on the positive impact that women have in the world. The winning videos will be showcased on our website.
  •  The Justice Team will plan a blog series to highlight the ways in which sisters, associates, companions and co-workers are hearing the cry of Earth and the cry of people who are poor.

Ecological Spirituality

  • The Justice Team, along with partner Catholic organizations in the U.S., will promote and provide support to sisters, associates, companions and ministries organizing Laudato Si pilgrimages to celebrate the encyclical’s 10th anniversary. 
  • The Justice Team will promote Laudato Si Animator trainings to equip sisters, associates and co-workers to shift consciousness of their communities around environmental and climate justice. 

Community Participation and Empowerment

  • The Justice Team will engage in advocacy and education leading up to COP 30 in Brazil with partners from ecclesial networks (REPAM, REMAM and REGCHAG) and the Churches and Mining Network. 
  • The Justice Team will lead U.S. advocacy among congregations of women religious and interfaith partners to stem deforestation, address the harms of mining in the energy transition, and support environmental protections and climate policies.