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Mother Church of
the Diocese of the Missouri Valley
Anglican Church in
America
Traditional Anglican
Communion
3728 Payson Road Quincy, IL 62301 phone: (217) 222-3241 fax: (217) 222-3435 web: www.stjohnscathedralquincy.org Proclaiming the Catholic Faith in Anglican Tradition |
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| Freedom of Choice Act
March 21, 2009 To all Clergy, and Laity of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley ACA/TAC: Greetings: The Affirmation of St. Louis (1977), the Magna Carta of Anglicans that are genuinely orthodox, and considered one of our cornerstones, reminds us that the conscience, as the inherent knowledge of right and wrong, cannot stand alone as a sovereign arbiter of morals. Further, the Affirmation reminds us that every Christian is obligated to form his/her conscience by the Divine Moral Law and the Mind of Christ as revealed in Holy Scriptures, and by the teaching and Tradition of the Church. With respect to human life it further states that every human being, from the time of his conception, is a creature and child of God, made in His image and likeness, an infinitely precious soul; and that the unjustifiable or inexcusable taking of life is always sinful and that it is the duty of the Church and her members to bear witness to Christian Morality, to follow it in their lives, and to reject the false standards of the world. Therefore, it is under the guidance of Holy Scripture and Holy Church that I
would like to address the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) now being considered by
Congress. The FOCA is a bill that represents the most radical piece of
legislation on abortion in the history of the United States, even exceeding the
protections of abortion in Roe v. Wade, in which the 1973 Supreme Court decision
guaranteed a right to abortion. In effect, FOCA would undo most, or even all, of the existing restrictions on abortion under a patchwork of state and federal laws. “For the first time, abortion on demand would be a national entitlement that government must condone and promote in all public programs affecting pregnant women.” This would require faith based hospitals and medical providers to provide abortion services which are in violation of their religious beliefs. This likely will lead to discontinuance of obstetrics and at the very least and even the closing of these hospitals. Indeed, the passing of this act could lead to the suspension of all obstetric services provided by all Christian physicians because once obtaining an abortion becomes a right in law, they would have no civil authority to deny that service. So one can see that the FOCA is a menacing development that represents a destructive setback in the effort to thwart abortion and support pregnant women and families and that will result in a life-threatening impact on health care. Therefore it is incumbent upon Christians to pray and work for the defeat of this bill. In addressing this issue, the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in America has adopted and issued the following statement: The so-called “Freedom of Choice Act” now working its way through Congress eliminates any choice at all, first for the thousands of unborn babies who will be slaughtered at taxpayer expense, and also for conscientious medical practitioners with moral and/or religious objections to performing abortions. The former will be dead, and the latter will be subject to legal penalties, including forfeiture of their licenses to practice medicine, if they refuse to provide fodder for the charnel houses. This legislation constitutes the epitome of the death culture’s grab for power in our country. As bishops in the Church of God, we the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in America call on all such medical providers to practice the quiet, peaceable civil disobedience which once triumphed over “Jim Crow” laws, by continuing to provide principled medical care. And we call upon all faithful Christians to seek and obtain medical care from such practitioners. If this creates a “white market” in medical care, so be it. If it comes at a cost to some or many, it will be no more than the cost of obtaining civil rights for all some forty years ago. I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, (Deut. 30:19) Therefore, I encourage all parishes/missions of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley to post this statement for all parishioners to see. Additionally, I encourage that this statement be released to all local media outlets and to be posted on their parish websites. Finally, I encourage all clergy and parishioners to write their state and federal representatives and senators urging the defeat of FOCA and to include the above Statement from the House of Bishops in their communication. Finally I invite you to begin your Mass commemorating the Feast on the Annunciation (March 25th) with the Litany of the Unborn Christ Child. You may find that at http://www.unbornwordalliance.com/book_app_2.htm. May our Lord grant us his grace as we pray and work for all children yet to be born. In the Service of God, +Stephen D. Strawn II Bishop of the Missouri Valley You can easily write to the members of the House of Representatives and Senate. Both sites have very simple forms that will require your name and contact information. Don't forget to include the the statement from the House of Bishops. Simply cut and paste from Bishop Strawn's pastoral letter or click here to open up a Word document. U.S. House of Representatives: Write Your Representative This page will assist you in locating your representative. You will need to enter your full, 9-digit zip code. If you do not know the last four digits, you may look it up here. Senator information is easily accessed by using the pull-down menus at the top of the website.
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St.
John's Cathedral