Knights of Columbus Wins Pledge of Allegiance Case in Federal Appeals Court

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the words "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance "do not violate the Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Read More

Ending Abortion and Gendercide: Try Authentic Feminism

Dr. Gerard Nadal details how feminism's mantras have backfired and proposes a new agenda, rooted in authenticity. Read More

Global Human Rights Report Sees Little Change

The Obama administration's first global report on human rights differed little from the reports issued during President George W. Bush's second term, with the exception of stepped-up criticism of the Iraqi government. Read More

Pope: Priests Must Promote Confession, Show People God's Mercy

In an address to hundreds of young priests, Pope Benedict spoke of the importance of returning to the confessional, not only to confess sins but to extend the mercy, counsel and understanding of God. Read More

The Worldwide War on Baby Girls

Gendercide is often seen as an unintended consequence of China’s one-child policy. But the accelerated surplus of bachelors between 1990 and 2005, makes it clear that the war against baby girls is not confined to China. Read More

News Catholics Need to Know

Top Issues

The Freedom of Choice Act

If passed, the radical “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA, S. 1173, H.R. 1964) would go beyond Roe v. Wade in guaranteeing abortion as a “fundamental right” of every woman.

What exactly would FOCA do? It would:

• Invalidate existing, pro-life laws that protect women from unsafe abortion clinics and inform her of the risks of abortion. Likewise, it would nullify state requirements of parental notification for an abortion performed on an underage girl.

• Require states to allow non-physicians to perform abortions.

• Nullify state laws that protect infants born alive after a failed abortion attempt

• Require taxpayers to fund abortion.

• Overturn the Partial Birth Abortion Act of 2003.

• Bar laws protecting health workers’ right of conscience.

The most recent version of the bill was introduced in 2007, the day after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion. It garnered the support of 19 co-sponsors in the Senate – including then-Senator Obama – and 108 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. During his campaign, President Obama promised that he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act.

More information on FOCA, as well as the U.S. bishops’ postcard campaign against the bill, can be found through the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. You can also contact your elected officials to urge them not to support FOCA. Contact information for the Senate and House of Representatives can be found at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.

Voting Catholic

• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States

• Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Challenges Catholics to Stop Accommodating Pro-Abortion Politicians

• Why Life Matters

• Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics

• The Participation of Catholics in Political Life by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

• Catholics in the Public Square by Bishop Thomas Olmsted

• Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Out Catholic Beliefs in Political Life by Archbishop Charles Chaput

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