Pending Legislation
The Most Dangerous Bill in Congress
The Freedom of Choice Act
Writing to all members of Congress on September 19, Cardinal Justin Rigali warned against enactment of the proposed “Freedom of Choice Act” or “FOCA” (S. 1173, H.R. 1964).
“Despite its deceptive title,” he wrote, “FOCA would deprive the American people in all 50 states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. And FOCA would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government to reduce abortions in our country.”
“There is one thing absolutely everyone should be able to agree on: We can’t reduce abortions by promoting abortion…. No one who sponsors or supports legislation like FOCA can credibly claim to be part of a good-faith discussion on how to reduce abortions.”
---Cardinal Rigali, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities
The full text of his letter can be found at www.usccb.org/prolife/FOCArigaliltr.pdf.
The legal analysis of FOCA by the USCCB Office of General Counsel is at www.usccb.org/prolife/FOCAanalysis.pdf.
The 111th Congress has 26 Catholic Senators and 136 Catholic Representatives. To date, thirty (30) Catholic politicians have co-sponsored FOCA; Senators Kerry, Mikulski, Menendez, Murray and Cantwell and twenty-five (25) Catholic representatives.
The so-called Freedom of Choice Act could wipe away every state law limiting abortion.
The "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA) would invalidate any federal, state, or local government law, regulation, policy, or action that would "deny or interfere with" a woman's access to abortion prior to "viability," or which would "discriminate against the exercise of" this right in the regulation or provision of any "benefits, facilities, services, or information."
This ban would apply absolutely prior to fetal "viability," and also apply after "viability" to any abortion sought on grounds of "health," which is not defined in the bill and which therefore would include any physical or emotional factor whatsoever.
Although sometimes referred to as a bill to "codify Roe v. Wade," this is misleading, because -- the sponsors of the bill have acknowledged that it would invalidate many laws that have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court under Roe v. Wade, including laws restricting government funding of abortion, limits on abortion in public or military faclities, full-disclosure counseling requirements, and bans on partial-birth abortion.
It would also invalidate all laws requiring parental or judicial notification or consent for abortions performed on minors, laws that permit health care providers to opt out of participation in abortion on conscience grounds, laws prohibiting non-physicians from performing abortions, and waiting periods. (NRTL)
Once the Freedom of Choice Act is passed and signed into law, no
Catholic doctor will be allowed to refuse abortion services on account of conscience. No hospital, Catholic or otherwise, will be permitted to opt out of the genocide. And taxpayers will be required to pay for the abortions of all women who can't afford them. These are sad realities, but they are indeed included in this Act. (AmericanThinker)
Obama Supports FOCA
Last year, speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, made a promise:
"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," he said.
read also: Obama's Abortion Bombshell: Unrestricted Abortion Over Wishes of Individual States a Priority for Presidency
Senator Barbara Boxer sponsored this bill. It has 20 co-sponsors in the Senate and 109 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. Of the 20 co-sponsors in the Senate, 18 are Democrats and 2 are Independents. The orignial sponsor in the House is Congressman Jerold Nadler (D-NY 8th). In the House 108 of the sponsors are Democrats and one is Republican. The sole Republican is Representative Christopher Shays (CT-4th).
How does a Catholic politician rationalize supporting the Freedom of Choice Act?
In his column in the Catholic Sentinel,Those who profess to love God, but back abortion, are liars, Bishop Robert F. Vasa in speaking of Catholic politicians supporting FOCA said the following,
"I do not see how any Catholic senator or representative could vote for the passage of FOCA without recognizing that such a vote would constitute a direct and intentional declaration of their disdain for Catholic teaching. Such a vote would be tantamount to a public declaration of their intention to abandon the Catholic faith."
Below are the members of Congress supporting the assault on life. The five Catholics Senators in the group are highlighted. There are also 25 Catholic Representatives who have signed on as co-sponsors.
Please contact these members and ask them to reconsider their support for this bill.
U.S. Senate Bill S.B.1173
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. House of Representatives H.R. 1964
| Cosponsor Name | Cosponsor Date | ||
| Arizona | |||
| Harry Mitchell (D 5th) | 05/23/2007 | ||
| Raul Grijalva (D 7th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Gabrielle Giffords (D 8th) | 06/21/2007 | ||
| California | |||
| Mike Thompson (D 1st) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Doris Matsui (D 5th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Lynn Woolsey (D 6th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| George Miller (D 7th) | 05/02/2007 | ||
| Barbara Lee (D 9th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Ellen Tauscher (D 10th) | 06/18/2007 | ||
| Gerald McNerney (D 11th) | 06/06/2007 | ||
| Tom Lantos (D 12th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Fortney Stark (D 13th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Anna Eshoo (D 14th) | 05/10/2007 | ||
| Michael Honda (D 15th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Zoe Lofgren (D 16th) | 05/03/2007 | ||
| Sam Farr (D 17th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Lois Capps (D 23rd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Brad Sherman (D 27th) | 05/03/2007 | ||
| Howard Berman (D 28th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Henry Waxman (D 30th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Hilda Solis (D 32nd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Diane Watson (D 33rd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Jane Harman (D 36th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Grace Napolitano (D 38th) | 06/21/2007 | ||
| Linda Sanchez (D 39th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Loretta Sanchez (D 47th) | 05/21/2007 | ||
| Bob Filner (D 51st) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Susan Davis (D 53rd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Colorado | |||
| Diana DeGette (D 1st) | 05/02/2007 | ||
| Connecticut | |||
| Rosa DeLauro (D 3rd) | 07/11/2007 | ||
| Christopher Shays (R 4th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Christopher Murphy (D 5th) | 04/30/2007 | ||
| District of Columbia | |||
| Eleanor Holmes Norton (D At-Large) | 04/20/2007 | ||
| Florida | |||
| Kathy Castor (D 11th) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Robert Wexler (D 19th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D 20th) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Alcee Hastings (D 23rd) | 05/02/2007 | ||
| Georgia | |||
| Hank Johnson (D 4th) | 06/12/2007 | ||
| John Lewis (D 5th) | 05/03/2007 | ||
| Hawaii | |||
| Neil Abercrombie (D 1st) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Mazie Hirono (D 2nd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Illinois | |||
| Jesse Jackson (D 2nd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Luis Gutierrez (D 4th) | 01/22/2008 | ||
| Rahm Emanuel (D 5th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Danny Davis (D 7th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Janice Schakowsky (D 9th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Iowa | |||
| Dave Loebsack (D 2nd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Maine | |||
| Thomas Allen (D 1st) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Maryland | |||
| C.A. Ruppersberger (D 2nd) | 01/29/2008 | ||
| Albert Wynn (D 4th) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Chris Van Hollen (D 8th) | 05/02/2007 | ||
| Massachusetts | |||
| John Olver (D 1st) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| James McGovern (D 3rd) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Barney Frank (D 4th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Niki Tsongas (D 5th) | 02/12/2008 | ||
| John Tierney (D 6th) | 05/03/2007 | ||
| Michael Capuano (D 8th) | 04/30/2007 | ||
| Michigan | |||
| John Conyers (D 14th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Minnesota | |||
| Betty McCollum (D 4th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Keith Ellison (D 5th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Missouri | |||
| Wm. Lacy Clay (D 1st) | 04/20/2007 | ||
| Russ Carnahan (D 3rd) | 07/16/2007 | ||
| Nevada | |||
| Shelley Berkley (D 1st) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| New Hampshire | |||
| Carol Shea-Porter (D 1st) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| New Jersey | |||
| Frank Pallone (D 6th) | 01/22/2008 | ||
| Steven Rothman (D 9th) | 04/30/2007 | ||
| Donald Payne (D 10th) | 04/24/2007 | ||
| Rush Holt (D 12th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| New York | |||
| Steve Israel (D 2nd) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Carolyn McCarthy (D 4th) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Gary Ackerman (D 5th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Joseph Crowley (D 7th) | 12/05/2007 | ||
| Jerrold Nadler (D 8th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Anthony Weiner (D 9th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Edolphus Towns (D 10th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Yvette Clarke (D 11th) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Nydia Velazquez (D 12th) | 06/06/2007 | ||
| Carolyn Maloney (D 14th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Charles Rangel (D 15th) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Eliot Engel (D 17th) | 03/31/2008 | ||
| Nita Lowey (D 18th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Michael Arcuri (D 24th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D 28th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| North Carolina | |||
| David Price (D 4th) | 06/06/2007 | ||
| Brad Miller (D 13th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Ohio | |||
| Dennis Kucinich (D 10th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Stephanie Jones (D 11th) | 09/04/2007 | ||
| Betty Sutton (D 13th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Oregon | |||
| David Wu (D 1st) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Earl Blumenauer (D 3rd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Peter DeFazio (D 4th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Pennsylvania | |||
| Chaka Fattah (D 2nd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Allyson Schwartz (D 13th) | 10/15/2007 | ||
| Rhode Island | |||
| Patrick Kennedy (D 1st) | 01/28/2008 | ||
| Tennessee | |||
| Stephen Cohen (D 9th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Texas | |||
| Al Green (D 9th) | 01/28/2008 | ||
| Sheila Jackson Lee (D 18th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Gene Green (D 29th) | 04/23/2007 | ||
| Vermont | |||
| Peter Welch (D At-Large) | 05/21/2007 | ||
| Virginia | |||
| James Moran (D 8th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Rick Boucher (D 9th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Washington | |||
| Jay Inslee (D 1st) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Rick Larsen (D 2nd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Brian Baird (D 3rd) | 07/11/2007 | ||
| Jim McDermott (D 7th) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Wisconsin | |||
| Tammy Baldwin (D 2nd) | 04/19/2007 | ||
| Gwen Moore (D 4th) | 04/23/2007 | ||