Knights of Columbus: "Remember FOCA on November 4th"

Published Sunday, November 2, 2008 A.D. | By Christopher Blosser

The Knights of Columbus remind us that among the most important issues at stake Nov. 4 is FOCA ["Freedom of Choice Act"]:

As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops declared recently:

“Abortion rights groups and their allies in Congress are promoting a radical bill called the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). If this extreme measure is enacted, widely-supported and constitutionally-sound abortion regulations will be knocked down nationwide.”

FOCA would force taxpayers to fund abortions.
FOCA would require all states to allow partial birth and other late term abortions.
FOCA would violate the consciences of health care providers.

As Supreme Knight Car Anderson stated in a letter to all Knights, “All of the progress we’ve made over the past 35 years in trying to limit and reduce abortions in the United States – would be invalidated with the stroke of a pen if the next Congress passes, and the next president signs, the so-called Freedom of Choice Act.”

Before you cast your vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4, please take the time and effort necessary to learn whether candidates for whom you might vote favor or oppose FOCA.

House sponsors of FOCA

Senate sponsors of FOCA

If your local candidates are not sponsors of FOCA, ask their campaigns what their position on the bill is.

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s position on FOCA can be found on this page from his campaign Web site:

U.S. Sen. John McCain’s position on FOCA can be found on this page from his campaign Web site.

Related

The Deadly Side of Spreading the Wealth, by Dorinda C. Bordlee (National Review). Three ways a President Obama will use your tax dollars to fund elective abortion on demand.

3 Responses to Knights of Columbus: "Remember FOCA on November 4th"

Kevin J Jones says:

Monday, November 3, 2008 A.D. at 12:01am

Almost nobody who brings up FOCA asks about its likelihood of passage. While it’s indicative of Obama’s horrific views, it could very well be useless scaremongering to claim it’s going to pass if Obama gets in.

The focus on FOCA could lull pro-lifers into a false sense of security if it is in fact a doomed bill. They’ll declare a great victory on its defeat and yap about how strong they are, never questioning if Obama’s promise to pass FOCA was just pandering to the pro-abortion fundraisers.

What if time spent on FOCA would be better spent warning about judicial nominations or persuading people who are lukewarm on abortion or other important issues?
Christopher Blosser says:

Monday, November 3, 2008 A.D. at 1:25am

What if time spent on FOCA would be better spent warning about judicial nominations or persuading people who are lukewarm on abortion or other important issues?

I think it makes sense to do both.

If Democrats get a majority in both the House and Senate there’s never a better opportunity for putting that legislation before Obama. So I can’t fault the Knights of Columbus (or the Catholic Bishops for that matter) for sounding the alarm.
DarwinCatholic says:

Monday, November 3, 2008 A.D. at 8:24am

The likelihood of FOCA passing will probably be hard to say until we see how the new congress will be composed.

While on the one hand some argue that it’s unlikely to pass, on the other I could see ramming through some fairly simply, highly partisan bills like FOCA, Fairness Doctrine and Card Check being a way to placate the liberal base as it becomes clear that troops are not being instantly pulled out of Iraq and something as wide ranging as healthcare reform will take at least a year or two to pass, if it ever does.