Claim: Message lists consequences that will result from passage of the Freedom of Choice Act.
 | MIXTURE OF ACCURATE AND INACCURATE INFORMATION |
Example:
If you are opposed to abortion then there is bad news on the horizon. For those of you who do not know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is set to be signed if congress passes it on
the following:
1) All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals will be required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens Bishops
vow to close down all Catholic hospitals, more then 30% of all hospitals in the United States.
2) Partial birth abortions would be legal and have no limitations.
3) All U.S. tax payers would be funding abortions.
4) Parental notification will no longer be required.
5) The number of abortions will increase by a minimum of 100,000 annually.
Perhaps most importantly the government will now have
control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, down syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have.
Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly true. As Catholics, as Christians, as anyone who is against the
needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.
The Plan:
To say a novena (9 days of prayer) along with fasting starting on
blossom as to become a global effort with maximum impact. We have very little time so we all must act fast. Just do three things:
1) Pass this letter to 5 or more people
2) Do it in three days or less
3) Start the novena on January 11th and pray for nine consecutive days.
(please also fast for at least two days during the novena)
Remember that with God all things are possible and the power of prayer is undeniable. If you are against the senseless
killing of defenseless children then the time is now to do something about it!
May God bless you all!!
Origins: The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), legislation which seeks to prohibit governmental restrictions on abortions performed prior to fetal viability, was introduced initially to the
As summarized by Congress, the Freedom of Choice Act:
Declares that it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to:
Prohibits a federal, state, or local governmental entity from:
Given the wording of the legislation, how it would be interpreted and applied should it be passed into law is currently a matter of some ambiguity, a situation that has led to number of claims and counter-claims from proponents and opponents of the bill — such as the ones expressed in the
All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals will be required to perform abortions upon request.
Whether the FOCA would require Catholic hospitals (and other health care providers) morally opposed to abortion to perform that procedure upon request is a matter of contention. Opponents maintain that FOCA would override current freedom-of-conscience laws, thereby forcing health care organizations to either perform abortions or risk losing any government funding they may receive:
While there is strenuous debate among legal experts on the matter, many believe the act would invalidate the freedom-of-conscience laws on the books in
Proponents claim that since FOCA specifically prohibits governmental entities from imposing restrictions on abortion, it would not require non-government institutions such as Catholic hospitals to offer abortions upon request (whether or not they currently receive any government funding):
Would FOCA force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions?
Unequivocally no, says Jill Morrison, senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center. Federal conscience clause law, such as the Church Amendment, states that simply receiving public funding does not turn a hospital into a "state actor," Morrison explains. "FOCA must be read consistently with existing federal law, unless the new law explicitly provides that it is intended to repeal existing law."
Morrison adds, "A hospital is not a state actor, and cannot be magically transformed into one due to its getting Federal funding, as set forth in the Church Amendment."
Partial birth abortions would be legal and have no limitations.
This is likely not completely accurate. The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 currently prohibits partial-birth abortions in the U.S. Even If FOCA overrode this law, its wording prohibits restrictions on abortion "prior to fetal viability" and "after fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the mother," so it could therefore be interpreted as not prohibiting restrictions on partial-birth abortions after the point of fetal viability when the health of the mother is not an issue.
All U.S. tax payers would be funding abortions.
To what extent the passage of FOCA might result in "U.S. tax payers funding abortions" is also a matter of contention. FOCA contains no provisions for direct federal (or other governmental) funding of abortions, and the 1976
Parental notification will no longer be required.
A plausible result of FOCA would be the overriding of laws requiring parental notification for abortions performed on minors.
The number of abortions will increase by a minimum of 100,000 annually.
To what extent passage of FOCA might increase the occurrence of abortion in the U.S. is also matter of contentious speculation. Opponents claim that removing current restrictions on abortion (such as parental notification requirements and bans on partial-birth abortions) would result in a significant increase in the abortion rate. Proponents maintain that FOCA would primarily serve to protect rights already place by serving as a bulwark against the imposition of additional restrictions on abortion (or the overturning of
This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, down syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have.
The statement is unfounded. FOCA itself contains no provisions for "forcing women by law to have abortions in certain situations," and it specifically states that "every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child."
Last updated: 19 January 2009
 | Sources: |
Douglas, Emily. "What Would FOCA Really Do?" RH Reality Check. 25 November 2008. Goldberg, Cary. "Shots Assist in Aborting Fetuses." The Boston Globe. 10 August 2007. Henneberger, Melinda. "Lose-Lose on Abortion." Slate. 24 November 2008. Johnston, James V. "Get Familiar with FOCA Legislation." The Mirror. 24 October 2008.