News release from the USCCB today

Source: http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-049.shtml

Pro-Life E-Mail Campaign to Congress
Expands National Postcard Effort

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has launched an e-mail campaign urging Congress to maintain widely-supported pro-life policies and to oppose the federal funding and promotion of abortion. The e-mail campaign augments the massive national postcard campaign launched in dioceses throughout the country in late January. Both efforts are being coordinated through the USCCB’s partner organization, the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment (NCHLA).

Since 1993, NCHLA has coordinated national postcard campaigns equipping citizens to express their pro-life views clearly and respectfully to Congress. The current campaign is unprecedented in scope, exceeding those sponsored by the Catholic bishops in the past.

Deirdre A. McQuade, Assistant Director for Policy and Communications at the USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, explained the supplementary e-mail campaign. “Tens of millions of cards have been distributed in parishes, schools, non-Catholic churches, and civic organizations across the country,” she said. “The e-mail campaign will give even more citizens the chance to participate.”

The e-mails urge a constituent’s Senators and Representative to “please oppose FOCA or any similar measure” and “retain existing laws against funding and promotion of abortion.” They also state: “It is especially important that Congress retain these laws in the various appropriations bills, e.g., the Hyde Amendment in the Labor/Health and Human Services appropriations bill.”

“To guard against the erosion of current pro-life measures-and to keep abortion from becoming a federal entitlement-our voice is needed now more than ever,” McQuade said.

For more information on the USCCB’s pro-life e-mail campaign visit: www.usccb.org/postcard.

See also a related article at: http://www.lifenews.com/nat4883.html.

ACTION: Contact your members of the Senate and urge strong support for the pro-life amendments to cut funding for the pro-abortion UNFPA and Planned Parenthood. You can find contact information for any senator at
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

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Ask Congress to sign “Jordan/Shuler” letter

From http://blog.aulaction.org/2009/02/13/foca-by-stealth-ask-congress-to-defend-pro-life-riders/

Dear Friend,

As you may have heard, Congress has not yet introduced the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). That’s because the pro-abortion forces have heard your voice. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards told the Wall Street Journal:

We’re going to be smart and strategic about our policy agenda to bring people together to make progress for women’s health. The Freedom of Choice Act is very important . . . but we have a long list of things to get done that I think can address problems immediately that women are facing, that are really immediate concerns.

In other words, because of the more than 650,000 people like you who have stood up to Fight FOCA, pro-abortion forces are focusing on another tactic for now – FOCA-by-Stealth.

They want to try to pass pieces of FOCA under your nose. The first target is your pocketbook.

The top priority for Planned Parenthood and their pro-abortion allies is to repeal the laws that prohibit federal funding of abortion. Often called pro-life “riders,” the pro-abortion forces want House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to eliminate them and start using our tax dollars to pay for abortion-on-demand . . . nationwide.

Thankfully, a bi-partisan group of Members of Congress are standing up to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood (who used to work for Speaker Pelosi). A letter to Speaker Pelosi written by Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio and Democrat Congressman Heath Shuler of North Carolina is being circulated for signatures by Members of Congress.

Please ask your member of Congress to sign the Jordan/Shuler letter.

The deadline is this Friday, February 20.

Yours for Life,

Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.
President & CEO

AUL Action, The Legislative Arm of Americans United for Life

FightFOCA.com

That letter from AUL Action has a link to a site where you can write directly to your Member of Congress:

https://secure3.convio.net/aulact/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=133

The letter provided there can be used as a model for a letter of your own:

Dear [Decision Maker],

As a constituent who lives in your district, I am writing to ask you to sign onto the Jordan/Shuler letter addressed to Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking her to keep the current, longstanding pro-life policies in place in federal appropriations bills. The reported deadline for signing this letter is Friday, February 20.

I oppose the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and any similar measure – including those efforts to implement FOCA one step at a time through the Congressional appropriations process. I encourage you to support provisions such as those that protect taxpayers from being compelled to pay for abortions and the destruction of human embryos, protect the consciences of healthcare professionals, and prevent the U.S. funding of organizations that support coercive abortions or involuntary sterilization overseas.

The Jordan/Shuler letter is an important statement about the priority that these and other pro-life provisions should have in the debate over future appropriations bills. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

If you want to send a letter without going through the AUL Action site, consider using the government site www.house.gov where you can look up your Member of Congress.

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