USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - Postcard Effort on Partial-Birth Abortion Will Resume in January

Postcard Effort on Partial-Birth Abortion Will Resume in January

WASHINGTON (December 16, 1997) -- Millions of Catholics are again poised to flood the Capitol with postcards and letters in a nationwide campaign aimed at stopping partial-birth abortion.

Beginning the weekend after January 22--the 25th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade abortion decision--Catholics in churches throughout the nation will send postcards to their Senators urging them to vote to override President Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Dioceses across the country have already ordered more than 11 million postcards in anticipation of the campaign. In addition, local non-Catholic churches are joining the effort and using the postcards in an ecumenical effort to stop partial-birth abortion.

The campaign is being sponsored by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment (NCHLA). "Catholics are not going to walk away from this effort until it's over," said Michael Taylor, NCHLA Executive Director. "They are outraged that partial-birth abortions continue to be performed. It isn't surprising, but it's disgraceful, that twenty-five years of Roe v. Wade has brought us to what is really infanticide."

In addition to the postcard campaign, the NCCB and the NCHLA are also encouraging letter writing. As part of this on-going effort--"You Can Stop Partial-Birth Abortion"--a letter-writing kit, consisting of a video and written materials, will be made available to Catholics nationwide. It provides information on partial-birth abortion and advice on writing representatives in Washington.

In the past, similar postcard campaigns sponsored by the Catholic Bishops have resulted in an unprecedented amount of mail going to Capitol Hill.

Additional information is available from Gene Tarne or Michelle Powers at 703-684-8352.