Collins Report

By Kevin “Coach” Collins

In April of 2007 the Democrats induced the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). This bill is exactly the kind of over-reach Pro Lifers predicted would come about. FOCA would compel all hospitals accepting public funds to provide abortion and birth control services to their patients or lose funding. There would be no exceptions for religious based hospitals. It says “Abort or close.” The nation’s Catholic Bishops are studying the close option. Moreover, FOCA would be retroactive. FOCA clearly tells Pro Lifers to shut up and start cutting.

Trouble for Catholic politicians

FOCA is coming back in January. When Catholic Democrats pass FOCA, it will bring about a crisis in the American Roman Catholic Church and American politics as well.

Cannon Law forbids “formal cooperation” with an evil such as abortion. By their vote, Catholic politicians will place themselves outside of the Church and into a state under which they could no longer receive Holy Communion.

This is the train wreck Barack Obama’s Democrats have been trying to avoid by their admittedly centrist appointments thus far. This issue will make one side a winner and one side a loser. The bishops can not back down. The fact that Catholics broke ranks and voted for Obama makes it more, not less, likely that the bishops will excommunicate violators and close Catholic hospitals rather than be forced to provide abortions.

Obama has promised to sign FOCA. The drunk with power Democrats will introduce it. It will be a major turning point in sobering up Catholics and other Pro Lifers who drank Obama’s Kool aid. That rank and file Catholics will be pulled into this fight is also inevitable. The moment this bill hits the floor, any “honeymoon” of good feeling will end and the real fighting will begin. I say bring it on.

Those who think the Roman Catholic Bishops are bluffing are wrong and are in for a big surprise. When secularists bring suit against the Bishops to try to force them to do abortions they ought to keep a recent statement by Bishop Robert Hermann of St. Louis. He said “… any of us [ Catholic Bishops] would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow – to die tomorrow – to bring about an end to abortion.”