Abortion Foes Warn Of Hospital Closures
This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.
On the past two Sundays, parishioners at the Holy Family Church in Nutley, New Jersey, have received a stark warning: If the Obama administration and Democratic Congress have their way, Catholic hospitals around the country will be forced to close.
The reason? A piece of legislation known as the Freedom Of Choice Act, or FOCA, that opponents believe will force hospitals and doctors to perform abortions even if they have moral opposition to doing so.
Since doctors at Catholic hospitals won't perform an abortion, the logic goes, the hospitals would have no choice but to shut their doors under FOCA rules.
Abortion rights advocates dismiss the claim, saying it is an effort to distract the public from the real abortion-related issues likely to be taken up by Congress.
But Catholic groups are now making a push to drum up opposition to FOCA, with millions of postcards being distributed in English and Spanish in churches across the country, according to Deirdre McQuade, an assistant director for policy and communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Catholic leaders are asking parishioners to sign three copies of the postcard - one for each senator and one for their representative - and then leave them with their church, which will mail the cards to Washington.
"The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), the most radical and divisive pro-abortion bill ever introduced in Congress, would create a 'fundamental right' to abortion that government could not limit but would have to support," the postcard reads in part. (See the full postcard here.)
Church leaders say FOCA would end requirements for parental consent, legalize partial-birth abortion and overturn so-called "conscience" protections that allow hospitals and health care providers that receive public funds to decline to perform an abortion. (The Bush administration tried to strengthen conscience protections shortly before leaving office, though President Obama ordered a halt to implementing the new guidelines until further review.)
"The [FOCA] law as it currently exists is taking that entire conscience clause away," said James Goodness, spokesman for Archdiocese of Newark. "And Catholic hospitals will not perform abortions. And if they are told they have to, hospitals are going to have to figure out what they can do."
Debate rages among legal scholars over whether FOCA, if instituted, would really overturn "conscience" protections and thus potentially mean the closures of Catholic hospitals, which make up about a third of all hospitals in the country.
According to Ted Miller, the communications director at NARAL Pro-Choice America, Maryland is among the states that have adopted FOCA-like legislation in an effort to codify abortion protections, "and you don't see Catholic hospitals closing in Maryland." But as Melinda Henneberger notes, Sen. Barbara Boxer, who introduced FOCA in the Senate, said in a statement that the legislation "supersedes any law, regulation or local ordinance that impinges on a woman's right to choose" - which could be taken as a sign that it would invalidate prior "conscience" clauses.
NARAL's Miller says FOCA isn't really the issue: It is instead "a distraction from issues around birth control and sex education for teens that could actually be considered in this Congress."
FOCA won't see passage anytime soon, he says, because according to NARAL's calculations, there are only 40 truly "pro-choice" senators in the 111th Congress and 146 "pro-choice" representatives in the 111th Congress - not nearly enough to pass the legislation.
Still, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who introduced FOCA legislation in the House in 2007, plans to reintroduce it in the new Congress, according to his office. (An aide declined to provide a timetable, but predicted the introduction would come "sooner rather than later.")
Boxer also plans to reintroduce the legislation, the 2007 version of which is here. Her office says there is not yet a timeline on when she will do so. Mr. Obama has vowed to immediately sign the legislation if it crosses his desk.
The push by Catholic leaders around FOCA and abortion issues comes as abortion rights opponents have grown worried that they will lose ground under a Democratic Congress and president. Some Catholic leaders were harshly critical of Mr. Obama even before he was elected, dubbing him "the abortion president" and warning that he is committed to pushing an abortion rights agenda.
"The pro-abortion agenda is strong, and it has momentum now because of the pro-choice majority in Congress and also the pro-choice president," said McQuade of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "There's a lot of momentum now seeking to roll back incremental gains that have been made over the last 36 years."
Last Thursday, on the 36th anniversary of the Roe V. Wade decision, tens of thousands of abortion rights opponents marched on Washington. One marcher told the Associated Press she was praying that Mr. Obama would "surprise" her on abortion.
On that very day, the president released a statement reiterating his support for abortion rights. The next day he quietly signed an executive order ending the so-called global gag rule banning federal funding for international groups that promote or perform abortions.
Polls suggest that slightly more than half the country believes that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. In the presidential election, Mr. Obama won by nine points among Catholics.
"The anti-choice side lost the election, and they lost control of Congress," said NARAL's Miller. "That means they no longer control the debate."
By Brian Montopoli
?
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. On the past two Sundays, parishioners at the Holy Family Church in Nutley, New Jersey, have received a stark warning: If the Obama administration and Democratic Congress have their way, Catholic hospitals around the country will be forced to close.
The reason? A piece of legislation known as the Freedom Of Choice Act, or FOCA, that opponents believe will force hospitals and doctors to perform abortions even if they have moral opposition to doing so.
Since doctors at Catholic hospitals won't perform an abortion, the logic goes, the hospitals would have no choice but to shut their doors under FOCA rules.
Abortion rights advocates dismiss the claim, saying it is an effort to distract the public from the real abortion-related issues likely to be taken up by Congress.
But Catholic groups are now making a push to drum up opposition to FOCA, with millions of postcards being distributed in English and Spanish in churches across the country, according to Deirdre McQuade, an assistant director for policy and communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Catholic leaders are asking parishioners to sign three copies of the postcard - one for each senator and one for their representative - and then leave them with their church, which will mail the cards to Washington.
"The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), the most radical and divisive pro-abortion bill ever introduced in Congress, would create a 'fundamental right' to abortion that government could not limit but would have to support," the postcard reads in part. (See the full postcard here.)
Church leaders say FOCA would end requirements for parental consent, legalize partial-birth abortion and overturn so-called "conscience" protections that allow hospitals and health care providers that receive public funds to decline to perform an abortion. (The Bush administration tried to strengthen conscience protections shortly before leaving office, though President Obama ordered a halt to implementing the new guidelines until further review.)
"The [FOCA] law as it currently exists is taking that entire conscience clause away," said James Goodness, spokesman for Archdiocese of Newark. "And Catholic hospitals will not perform abortions. And if they are told they have to, hospitals are going to have to figure out what they can do."
Debate rages among legal scholars over whether FOCA, if instituted, would really overturn "conscience" protections and thus potentially mean the closures of Catholic hospitals, which make up about a third of all hospitals in the country.
According to Ted Miller, the communications director at NARAL Pro-Choice America, Maryland is among the states that have adopted FOCA-like legislation in an effort to codify abortion protections, "and you don't see Catholic hospitals closing in Maryland." But as Melinda Henneberger notes, Sen. Barbara Boxer, who introduced FOCA in the Senate, said in a statement that the legislation "supersedes any law, regulation or local ordinance that impinges on a woman's right to choose" - which could be taken as a sign that it would invalidate prior "conscience" clauses.
NARAL's Miller says FOCA isn't really the issue: It is instead "a distraction from issues around birth control and sex education for teens that could actually be considered in this Congress."
FOCA won't see passage anytime soon, he says, because according to NARAL's calculations, there are only 40 truly "pro-choice" senators in the 111th Congress and 146 "pro-choice" representatives in the 111th Congress - not nearly enough to pass the legislation.
Still, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who introduced FOCA legislation in the House in 2007, plans to reintroduce it in the new Congress, according to his office. (An aide declined to provide a timetable, but predicted the introduction would come "sooner rather than later.")
Boxer also plans to reintroduce the legislation, the 2007 version of which is here. Her office says there is not yet a timeline on when she will do so. Mr. Obama has vowed to immediately sign the legislation if it crosses his desk.
(AP)
"The pro-abortion agenda is strong, and it has momentum now because of the pro-choice majority in Congress and also the pro-choice president," said McQuade of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "There's a lot of momentum now seeking to roll back incremental gains that have been made over the last 36 years."
Last Thursday, on the 36th anniversary of the Roe V. Wade decision, tens of thousands of abortion rights opponents marched on Washington. One marcher told the Associated Press she was praying that Mr. Obama would "surprise" her on abortion.
On that very day, the president released a statement reiterating his support for abortion rights. The next day he quietly signed an executive order ending the so-called global gag rule banning federal funding for international groups that promote or perform abortions.
Polls suggest that slightly more than half the country believes that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. In the presidential election, Mr. Obama won by nine points among Catholics.
"The anti-choice side lost the election, and they lost control of Congress," said NARAL's Miller. "That means they no longer control the debate."
By Brian Montopoli
?
Popular in Politics
- Michelle Obama decries "slander" that educated blacks are "trying to act white" Play Video
- Both parties vow to "get to the bottom" of IRS scandal 273 Comments
- Va. GOP candidate: Planned Parenthood "more lethal" for blacks than KKK 562 Comments
- Republicans continue beating Benghazi drum 450 Comments
- Immigration bill would require fingerprinting at 30 airports
- Romney condemns "breach of trust" in Washington 251 Comments
- Benghazi-disciplined diplomat a prolific poet
- Top Obama officials knew about IRS probe, says WH
A. A clinic/hospital complete w/ anti abortion demonstrators. Inside they offer somewhat biased education. You feel guilty. If that isnt challenging enough, & you choose abortion, remember, they are being forced against their ethics, morals, & will (maybe like you were if you were raped & got pregnant,) to provide this service for you.
B. A clinic/hospital where you could be provided comprehensive, agenda free education & feel supported. Maybe you blew the choice on the unprotected *** theme & this is how you find yourself in this heartwrenching place; perhaps you were raped, maybe your birthcontrol blew it, or ??. What happens next remains your choice & hopefully this place will provide clear, heartful support if your family is unable to.
C: The radical abortion clinic: no education, no hoopla, old equipment, staff training??, Signs announcing employees must wash their hands after using the restroom, lie curling & yellow, in the outside trash, next to the drive through open sign.. The prolife demonstrators whack you with their signs as you attempt to enter.
Okay you can tell which way my flag geez..anyway, this idea that that Catholic hospitals would be forced to close, is a joke. Nothing like taking advantage of GUILT, FEAR & heresay to sway the populace. Sounds like the misguided church of my youth & the last administration
Here''s what else will come: Doctors who have a conscience and stand by their convictions will leave the medical profession. They are not obligated to practice medicine, after all. I predict many doctors will go underground. How will it be enforced? I imagine that if doctors/nurses refuse to perform or participate in abortion, they will not be able to renew their licenses. Likewise, medical students will be forced to learn the procedure if they want to graduate and become licensed to practice medicine.
Anyone who has paid attention to history and anyone paying attention to what the Democrats are pushing should see this coming. If you don''t, you are uninformed, willfully naive, willfully ignorant, or all three.
I also predict that pregnant women will be required to undergo testing for "defects" in order to continue getting medical care. There will be tremendous pressure on women in difficult situations or those carrying a child with "defects" to abort. Abortion will become a "cost-saving" measure. How do I know this? Because Nancy Pelosi just tried to do this with the "Family Planning" stimulus bill.
Mark my words.
To about half of this country, abortion is seen as a murder of an innocent unborn human. That''s right, MURDER. For a liberal to ask a conservative to just mind his own business on abortion is the equivalent of someone let a murder happen right in front of our eyes. If a stranger was trying to kill another stranger and you had the opportunity to stop the killing, would you not do so?
The fact is, society determines morals, whether they are religious or secular. Just like a society has rules on stealing and murder, abortion is seen as immoral by a huge chunk of society.
Liberals, imagine if someone told you that he was going to kill his child (for financial reasons or just because he didn''t want the child). This man told you that he doesn''t think it is immoral to kill his child, and so you should just respect that and let the guy do his thing. After all, your morals (that what he is doing is murdering) shouldn''t be enforced on others.
That is the equivalent of abortion... murder. Asking pro-lifers to do nothing is to ask him/her to neglect his/her own personal beliefs on murder.
What do you think seperates pro-choice and pro-life voters? Or democrats and republicans? Or capitalists and communists? Or liberal and originalist jurists?
All laws are dictated by the philosophies of the of the law-makers or jurists in question. I would suggest that what you, like most people, want is to not allow philosophies that differ from yours dictate laws. That is the reality of politics in human society and is the reason for representative government: so that the people have some say in what philosophies influence the law.
Our republic was based on a set of philosophical ideals, among the most significant being:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Sounds like you have the beginning of a Non-profit.
I''d donate to your cause, because I think it could help, but I still wouldn''t want philosophies dictating he law.
"As far as folks willing to take in "unwanted" children, there are literally thousands of willing couples and families waiting to adopt "unwanted" children. Why not simply pair these ladies up with these couples and families..."
I''d be interested in hearing your objections to this simple solution.