Catholic Churches In Louisiana, New Jersey Join National Postcard Campaign Against FOCA

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Abortion
Article Date: 28 Jan 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Roman Catholic dioceses in Louisiana and New Jersey recently joined a nationwide U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops postcard campaign to discourage President Obama from supporting the Freedom of Choice Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade. The following summarizes news coverage of the issue.

~ Louisiana: Catholic Church leaders in the New Orleans area have joined the campaign and over the next two weeks will invite parishioners to send 35,000 preaddressed postcards to Congress members urging them to vote against FOCA and other measures that would expand access to abortion services, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. An estimated 1.4 million Catholics from more than 200 dioceses across the state are expected to participate in the campaign, according to USCCB. The Times-Picayune reports that FOCA is at the "center of Catholic bishops' worst fears, especially against the backdrop of a general shift toward abortion-rights values" in Washington, D.C. (Nolan, Times-Picayune, 1/25).

~ New Jersey: More than 300,000 postcards were distributed to Catholic churches in counties throughout the state, instructing parishioners to tell their congressional representatives to vote against FOCA and that, if passed, such a law could force the government to fund abortions, NorthJersey.com reports. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark also distributed postcards to schools and college campuses, NorthJersey.com reports. Local dioceses said they hope to demonstrate a strong, ongoing opposition to abortion to President Obama, who has said he would sign the bill if it passes in Congress. Jim Goodness, a spokesperson for the Newark diocese, said it is "very important for [the church] to be vocal" about its opposition to FOCA, adding that the act would make it more difficult for abortion opponents to ban the procedure. According to Goodness, parishioners have requested more cards, and the effort has been received "favorably" (Davis, NorthJersey.com, 1/26).

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