The Freedom of Choice Act will be considered by Congress (S. 1173, H.R. 1964) when it reconvenes in January.
That They May All
Be One
Archbishop John C. Nienstedt
Contrary to its deceptively clever title, FOCA would create a “fundamental right” for a woman to “terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability” or to “terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman.”
No governmental agency at any level (federal, state or local) could “deny or interfere with” this right nor discriminate against the exercise of this right “in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services or information.”
Archbishop Nienstedt's Calendar
» Tuesday-Thursday, Jan. 26-28: Episcopal ongoing formation - “The Power And Grace of Vision,” held in Orlando, Fla.
• Friday, Jan. 29: 11 a.m., Oak Grove, Church of St. Patrick: Funeral for Father Michael Kennedy.
• Monday, Feb. 1: 7 p.m., Edina, Our Lady of Grace Church: Mini-symposium — “Marriage and Life Around the Archdiocese.”
• Tuesday, Feb. 2: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff.
11 a.m., St. Paul Chancery: Meeting with archdiocesan judicial vicar.
1:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archbishop’s Council meeting.
5:15 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Mass and reception for Day of Consecrated Life and Jubilarians.
• Wednesday, Feb 3: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Breakfast meeting with University of St. Thomas students to plan upcoming “lectio divina.”
10:00 a.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting with CCF administration.
11:15 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Mass and lunch with Totino-Grace football team, state champions in Class 4A.
• Thursday, Feb. 4: 10 a.m., Brooklyn Center, Church of St. Alphonsus: All-school liturgy celebrating Catholic Schools Week and Grandparents’ Day.
4 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting with administration of St. Bernard’s School.
• Sunday, Feb. 7: noon, St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Lunch with Bishop Muheria from Diocese of Kitui.
8 p.m., St. Paul, University of St. Thomas: “Lectio divina.”
• Monday, Feb. 8: 6 a.m., St. Paul, St. John Vianney College Seminary: Holy hour, Holy Eucharist and breakfast with seminarians.
10:30 a.m, St. Paul, St. Paul Seminary: Meeting with administration.
11:35 a.m., St. Paul, St. Paul Seminary: Holy Eucharist and lunch with seminarians.
6 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Miryam Dinner.
• Tuesday, Feb. 9: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff.
1 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Presbyteral Council meeting.
3:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting of College of Consultors.
7 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Confirmation.
• Wednesday, Feb. 10: noon., St. Paul, University of St. Thomas School of Law: Mass and lunch.
3:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Cathedral planning.
6 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Dinner with Archdiocesan Commission of Black Catholics.
• Thursday, Feb. 11: 9 a.m., New Brighton, Church of St. John the Baptist: Study Day for Priests and Deacons.
6 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Operation Andrew Dinner.
• Friday, Feb. 12: 9 a.m., St. Paul, Guardian Angels Church: Archdiocesan staff day of reflection.
Devastating effects
If enacted, this would become the first time in our nation’s history
that abortion is established as an “entitlement.” This, in effect,
would move our country beyond even the Supreme Court’s decision of Roe
v. Wade.
It would also do away with a large number of existing state laws on
abortion, substantially impede the ability of states to regulate
abortion, and override nearly 40 years of jurisprudential experience on
the subject of abortion.
Legal experts say it would likely invalidate informed consent laws,
parental notification laws, laws promoting maternal health (if they
result in an increased cost for abortions), abortion clinic regulations
(even those designed to make abortion safer for women), laws
prohibiting a particular abortion procedure (such as partial-birth
abortion) and laws requiring that abortions only be performed by a
licensed physician.
It is hard to imagine a more radical piece of pro-abortion
legislation. FOCA would have a devastatingly destructive impact on the
government’s ability to regulate abortion.
I urge our readers to contact their senators and representatives and tell them to vote against this bill.
Cardinal’s warning
Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of our U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said on the occasion of last
month’s Respect Life Sunday:
“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 24 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.”
In effect, FOCA would certainly be a boon to the abortion industry with
the government forced to condone and promote such procedures. Now is
the time to reduce, not increase, the incidence of abortion. Now is the
time to work for the defeat of the Freedom of Choice Act.
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