Time.com Examines Catholic Church's Efforts To Defeat Freedom Of Choice Act

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Abortion
Article Date: 23 Feb 2009 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Time.com on Thursday examined the efforts of the Roman Catholic Church to defeat the Freedom of Choice Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade, despite the fact that the bill hasn't been introduced in the current Congress and has little chance of being passed. According to Time.com, a version of FOCA was introduced in the 108th and 110th Congresses by Rep. Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.) "at a time when the future of Roe was in doubt" because of the possibility that former President George W. Bush would appoint another justice to the Supreme Court who oppossed abortion rights. However, Democrats in Congress "have also been less than enthusiastic about the proposal," and the bill has never made it out of committee. President Obama has said in the past that he would sign FOCA into law if Congress passed it, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has not indicated that she plans to bring the bill for a vote. In addition, "even if she did, there are not enough votes in Congress to pass the bill," according to Time.com.

Time.com reports that some U.S. Catholics are "finding it curious and troubling" that at a time when the U.S. faces economic problems and challenges abroad, "their church has launched a major campaign against a piece of legislation that doesn't exist and wouldn't have much chance of becoming law even if it did." According to Time.com, the efforts to defeat FOCA began shortly after President Obama's election, when the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops unanimously voted "to mobilize the resources" of the organization and the Catholic community to oppose the legislation. Shortly thereafter, a chain e-mail of unknown origin began circulating that warned that FOCA "was set to be signed if Congress passes it on Jan. 21-22 of 2009" and that included several inaccurate claims, such as that Catholic hospitals would be forced to close and abortions would increase by 100,000 procedures annually. After the inauguration, the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities launched a national postcard campaign that is "flooding the White House and congressional offices with message opposing FOCA," according to Time.com. However, "[i]n the midst of all this activity, the fact that there was no [FOCA bill] before the 111th Congress went largely unnoticed and unmentioned," Time.com reports.

James Salt, director of organizing for the progressive organization Catholics United, said that "right-wing organizations are deliberatively misleading people in order to stoke the culture war" and using the FOCA controversy as "a fundraising tool, as a way to gin up their relevancy." He added that "unfortunately, some of these groups have the ear of certain bishops." In response to parishioners who expressed concerns about FOCA, Catholics United issued an alert to its supporters saying that the measure "is not going anywhere" and urging them to contact local bishops "to commit increased resources to helping children and families survive the collapsing economy." Time.com reports that some members of the USCCB's policy staff are also "reportedly frustrated by the attention given to FOCA," and a few officials with the church "have even taken the rare step of speaking out to correct misinformation about the issue." An article from the Catholic News Service -- the official news service affiliated with USCCB -- debunked the misleading e-mail and clarified that "no Catholic hospital in the United States is in danger of closing because of" FOCA. Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, said in the article that FOCA "has never contained anything that would force Catholic Hospitals or Catholic personnel to do abortion or to participate in them" and noted that she does not think the bill will pass.

Still, FOCA has "provided ammunition for those on the right who want to paint Obama as 'the most pro-abortion president ever,'" Time.com reports. However, since taking office, Obama "has given social conservatives little evidence to back up that charge." To date, Obama's actions on abortion-related policies include repealing the "Mexico City" policy -- also known as the "global gag rule" -- and making reducing the need for abortions a top priority for his Presidential Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Congressional Republicans also "have taken up the cry" against FOCA, recognizing that they "can invoke it as a looming threat" and that the "longer it remains a dormant issue, the more credit they can take" for their "proactive" action on the bill, Time.com reports (Sullivan, Time.com, 2/19).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations