How you can take part in Respect Life Month
Each year the U.S. bishops designate October as Respect Life Month. Recognizing that in our society, human life is especially under direct attack from abortion, many Catholics have committed themselves to building a culture of life.
Respect Life Month is an opportunity to reflect on what has been accomplished through the hard work, prayers and generosity of informed and committed pro-life Catholics. Acknowledging the challenges we continue to face, this is also a time to prompt those who are uncommitted to reach a firm conviction and stand up for life.
Each year, thousands of Catholic citizens, many from our own diocese, stand up for life by participating in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., calling on the nation to restore legal protection for the unborn. Helping to form public policy, parishioners are also actively involved in letter writing, phone calling and e-mailing campaigns to local and national leaders to advocate for pro-life laws.
In an effort to become better informed on the wide range of life issues, volunteers attend conferences and workshops. Many of the same people are involved in community service to reach out to the poor, the vulnerable and those in need.
Over the years, the tireless efforts of the Catholic pro-life community have had a major impact. In 1993, for example, parishioners from our diocese joined Catholics from across the country in a national postcard campaign sponsored by the National Committee for Human Life Amendment, the legislative arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. Postcards, not just in the thousands but in the millions from around the country, could - and did - make a difference.
The postcard campaign focused on a specific policy goal: stopping the so-called Freedom of Choice Act, a federal measure that states that the decision of whether or not to have an abortion is a fundamental right.
The NCHLA reported that nearly 90 percent of Catholic dioceses nationwide participated in this campaign. The postcards had great impact on Capitol Hill and the “Freedom of Choice” Act was defeated.
Unfortunately, the Freedom of Choice Act has been reintroduced in Congress (H.R. 1964, S. 1173). Last week, Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman on the USCCB’s Committee for Pro-Life Activities, wrote members of Congress warning against enactment of FOCA.
“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.”
If enacted, FOCA would eliminate a broad range of existing state abortion laws. Some examples of the kinds of laws FOCA would overthrow include: informed consent laws; parental involvement laws; abortion clinic regulations; laws prohibiting late-term abortions, such as partial birth abortion; and laws requiring that abortions only be performed by a licensed physician.
Many of these “common sense” state laws have been very effective in reducing the number of abortions. Just last week, according to a new study published by the Family Research Council, it was reported that “state-level parental involvement laws are effective in reducing the incidence of abortion among minors by nearly one-third.”
In their recent document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the U.S. Catholic bishops call all of us, as Catholics, to be active and faithful citizens. In the same document the bishops tell us, “A legal system that violates the basic right to life on the grounds of choice is fundamentally flawed.”
Once again, Catholics must respond to the call to work to ensure that the Freedom of Choice Act does not become a reality. Call members of Congress and urge them to pledge their opposition to FOCA. Urge cosponsors to remove their names from the bill. Write letters-to-the editor of your local paper. Help educate others about FOCA. Stand up, vote and lobby for life!
Jennifer Ruggiero is the director of the Office of Respect for Life.