Cardinal Rigali and the Freedom of Choice Act

Yesterday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Pro-Life released a statement made by Philadelphia's Cardinal Rigali, USCCB Committee on Pro-life Activities Chairman. The statement was written to mark this weekend's Respect Life Sunday.

There was one portion I think needs highlighting:

We face the threat of a federal bill that, if enacted,would obliterate virtually all the gains of the past 35 years and cause the abortion rate to skyrocket. The "Freedom of Choice Act" ("FOCA") has many Congressional sponsors, some of whom have pledged to act swiftly to help enact this proposed legislation when Congress reconvenes in January.

FOCA establishes abortion as a "fundamental right" throughout the nine months of pregnancy, and forbids any law or policy that could "interfere"with that right or "discriminate" against it in public funding and programs. If FOCA became law, hundreds of reasonable, widely supported, and constitutionally sound abortion regulations now in place would be invalidated. Gone would be laws providing for informed consent, and parental consent or notification in the case of minors. Laws protecting women from unsafe abortion clinics and from abortion practitioners who are not physicians would be overridden. Restrictions on partial-birth and other late-term abortions would be eliminated. FOCA would knock down laws protecting the conscience rights of nurses, doctors, and hospitals with moral objections to abortion, and force taxpayers to fund abortions throughout the United States.

We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot tolerate an even greater loss of innocent human lives. We cannot subject more women and men to the post-abortion grief and suffering that our counselors and priests encounter daily in Project Rachel programs across America.

For twenty-four years, the Catholic Church has provided free,confidential counseling to individuals seeking emotional and spiritual healing after an abortion, whether their own or a loved one's. We look forward to the day when these counseling services are no longer needed,when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law. If FOCA is enacted, however, that day may recede into the very distant future.

Something Cardinal Rigali doesn't say about the Freedom of Choice Act is that presidential candidate Barack Obama has said that he looks forward to this being the first piece of legislation he signs into law.

Please contact your Representatives and Senators in Congress to express how you feel they ought vote on this matter. The Capitol switchboard number is (202) 224-3121 - an operator will then direct your call to either one of your Senators or Representatives. TTY (hearing impaired) calls may be placed to (202) 225-1904

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