3/2/2009 - March 2009 SLI Educational Update - Freedom of Choice Act
AN EDUCATIONAL UPDATE FROM
THE SOUTHEAST LAW INSTITUTE™, INC.
To: SLI Supporters
Date: March 2009
From: A. Eric Johnston
Re: Freedom of Choice Act
In 2009, America faces the biggest abortion challenge since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. The Freedom of Choice Act (“FOCA”) is poised to expand and federalize all abortion rights.
After Roe was decided a 20 year legal strategy was developed to reverse it. In the late 1980’s, court opinions seemed to be leading to a prohibition of abortion. Fearing this, pro-abortionists responded in 1989 by filing the first FOCA in the U.S. Congress. It did not pass. In 1993, the 20 year strategy came to an end with the decision of Planned Parenthood v. Casey, when the United States Supreme Court dashed our hopes for prohibiting abortion. However, the court would permit states to regulate abortion services.
To keep states from regulating, FOCA was again filed in 1995 and 2004, but did not pass. When Gonzales v. Carhart upheld the federal partial-birth abortion ban and in anticipation of the presidential election, the latest version was filed in 2007 and 2008, which did not pass, and will again be filed in the 2009 Congress.
We are concerned about FOCA because of the sweeping changes it will make removing all impediments to abortion on demand:
- It will apply to all present and future state and federal laws.
- Any law that burdens or restricts a woman’s right to abortion will not apply.
- It will overturn more than 550 existing state and federal laws that regulate abortion; for Alabama, that includes the Parental Consent and Woman’s Right to Know laws.
- FOCA could even result in regulation of crisis pregnancy centers.
If FOCA passes, our present laws will have no effect. We will not be able to regulate abortion in any meaningful way. As a result, more unborn baby’s lives will be taken and the standard of healthcare for women at abortion clinics will further diminish.
Why are we concerned now, since FOCA has always failed? During his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama told Planned Parenthood that the first thing he would do as President would be to sign FOCA into law. Pro-abortion Representatives and Senators are now in control of Congress. FOCA now has an excellent chance of passing. Although the problems with the economy have apparently slowed down Obama’s social agenda, we expect FOCA to be filed at anytime. We will keep you up-to-date. Contact us if you have any questions.
Action Items
(1) Sign up on a pro-life mail or email list (www.aul.org or www.nrlc.org), or contact us, to keep informed.
(2) Use the information you receive to contact your senators and representatives in Congress (to oppose FOCA) and in the Alabama Legislature (to support a resolution against FOCA).
(3) Sign the petition against FOCA at www.aul.org or www.nrlc.org.
(4) Pray diligently and constantly for the defeat of FOCA, the changing of the hearts of abortionists, the women who make these decisions, and the saving of the lives of the unborn.
Contact Information
U.S. Congress:
Senator Jeff Sessions Senator Richard Shelby
335 Russell Senate Office Building 110 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0104 Washington, D.C. 20510
Email: senator@sessions.senate.gov Email: senator@shelby.senate.gov
Telephone: 202-224-4124 Telephone: 202-224-5744
Facsimile: 202-224-3149 Facsimile: 202-224-3416
To identify your U.S. Representative, check http://thomas.loc.gov, and click the House of Representatives link.
Alabama Legislature:
General purpose telephone calls (Switchboard): Street Address:
State Senator: 334-242-7800 Alabama State House
State Representative: 334-242-7600 11 South Union Street
Email: www.legislature.state.al.us Montgomery, AL 36130
To identify your representative or senator, call the numbers or check the website.
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