FIGHT FOCA

• For background information on FOCA from the Bishops’ Pro Life Office click here: http://www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/FOCA/

POSTCARD CAMPAIGN 

At their November meeting, the U.S. Bishops voted unanimously to call us to prayer and action to prevent passage of the “Freedom of Choice Act” and to oppose other attempts to overturn existing pro-life laws and policies.  To accomplish this, a “Fight FOCA Postcard Campaign” is being implemented by the U.S. Bishops’ Pro Life Office (www.usccb.org/prolife) and its sister organization the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment (www.nchla.org).  This campaign will involve education (see the educational flier here: http://www.nchla.org/docdisplay.asp?ID=211) and grassroots action (sending millions of postcards to our Members of Congress; see the postcard here: http://www.nchla.org/docdisplay.asp?ID=212).  The target date for implementing this project in Catholic parishes is January 24/25.  All three Bishops in Nebraska have agreed to implement this campaign in their respective dioceses and are ordering and distributing the postcards and educational fliers to all of their parishes.  The quantity of materials sent to each parish is based on a percentage of registered households.  Parish pro-life coordinators will be responsible for implementation of this campaign in their parish. 

Non-Catholic churches are also invited and urged to participate in this campaign.  Any individual, church or group can order the postcards and educational fliers directly from NCHLA.  An order form is available online at: http://www.nchla.org/datasource/idocuments/OrderForm.latest.08.pdf.

Some have tried to downplay FOCA or its likelihood of being introduced or adopted by Congress.  This view is misguided.  Congress could try to dismantle existing pro-life policies and laws wholesale through FOCA or they could try to eliminate them one at a time.  In any event, it is critical that pro-life Americans send a strong and immediate message against such attacks on defenseless human life.  In case you or someone you know needs to be convinced of the abortion industry’s radical agenda, check out the manifesto they presented to President-Elect Obama at: http://otrans.3cdn.net/3b21d35e246c18a427_d7m6bw2o1.pdf.  

  The “Fight FOCA Postcard Campaign” is sponsored by the U.S. Bishops’ Pro Life Office and its “sister” organization the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment.   

•  For information on the “Fight FOCA Postcard Campaign” (including a postcard and educational flier order form) click here:    http://www.nchla.org/issues.asp?ID=50  

•  For  instructions on the implementation of the Fight FOCA Postcard Campaign in Nebraska click here:  Fight FOCA Instruction Manual

•  For a Fight FOCA Postcard Campaign promotional poster click here:  Fight FOCA Poster

 CONTACT PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA

 In addition to sending a strong message to Congress, it is also important to send a message to President-Elect Obama, preferably before he takes office and starts issuing Executive Orders reversing pro-life policies.  On this website (www.change.gov), President-Elect Obama asks us to share with him our vision for America (here’s the direct link to that page: http://www.change.gov/page/s/yourvision).  In a respectful way, tell him that your top priority is protecting human life from conception to natural death.  Tell him you think unborn babies should have the right to life.  Tell him that you do not want our tax dollars to pay for abortions.  And ask him to NOT support FOCA or not sign it if it passes.  Our next president has asked our opinion about how he should lead so let’ share our positive and life-affirming vision with him.