Our nation is at a critical point in the fight to protect the unborn. The latest proposed legislation, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), calls for a significant increase in unlimited amount of abortions in this country. But FOCA goes far beyond that - it seeks to force hospitals and health care providers to violate their own consciences by requiring that abortions and abortion referrals be made available to clients seeking such services. This legislation seeks to eliminate the choice for those whose beliefs would preclude their participation in the acts of death which the proposed law would require.
The impact on the lives of those who practice medicine and those, such as the Catholic Church, who provide hospitals and health care facilities, would be profound. This is on top of the "rights" which the bill purports to protect that virtually eliminates any restrictions on abortion and removes parental rights of notice when abortions are performed for minors.
The Bishops of the United States have asked all Catholic organizations to support a campaign that will also be rolled out through parishes throughout the country - it is being called the National Pro-Life Postcard Campaign to Congress. Cardinal Justin Rigali referenced this campaign in his homily at the Pro-Life vigil on Wednesday at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
Every person who believes that abortion is wrong, that "Freedom of Choice" actually denies choice to those whose conscience would be violated by the legislation's requirements, needs to take action. As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have said, "FOCA goes far beyond the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision. No other piece of legislation would have such a destructive impact on society's ability to limit or regulate abortion... The national postcard campaign will send a timely message to Congress that abortion advocates are out of step with mainstream America, and that their agenda should not become part of our nation's laws in any way."
Please link to the USCCB's website by using the URL here - it will conveniently allow you to send electronic postcards to your Senators and your Congressional delegate, expressing your strong opinion in opposition to FOCA. As Edmund Burke is so often quoted, "All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing." Place your cursor on the URL and press Ctrl & click or paste the URL in your internet browser.
We cannot do nothing - this postcard campaign is not enough, but it is something - a small but important step to insure that the voices of those who support the pro-life movement are heard, loud and clear. Please take the few moments required to send the electronic postcards.
AND we have to be even more vigilant in a variety of areas legislation which threatens the unborn and the conscience, e.g., foreign policy.
Thanks for posting this and thanks for the URL. FOCA has little to no chance of ever becoming law. The only way that it could happen would be if Obama decided to make a crusade out of it and was willing to use FOCA to "horse trade" with members of Congress. If FOCA ever came into play, it would be in the news, and those of us in the grassroots would all have to organize as many of our contacts as possible to voice our dissent to our elected representatives.