National Postcard Campaigns
Building upon the groundwork of Project Life, the letter-writing campaign transitioned from a diocesan to a national program with the focus on postcards as the primary means of communication. Postcards, not just in the thousands but in the millions, could – and did – make a difference. In the course of various campaigns, NCHLA has provided more than 93 million postcards to participants across the country. It is difficult to ascertain exact numbers but millions of postcards have been sent to Congress.
From 1993 through 1998, the Postcard Campaign focused on three specific policy goals: stopping the so-called Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) in 1993, keeping abortion out of health care reform in 1994, and enacting into law the partial-birth abortion ban act in 1996 and again in 1998. With nearly 90% of Catholic dioceses nationwide participating in these campaigns, the postcards had great impact on Capitol Hill.
Pro-life citizens defeated the "Freedom of Choice" Act and kept abortion out of proposed health care reform plans. The 1996 and 1998 postcard campaigns helped draw national attention to the repulsive partial-birth abortion procedure, despite two presidential vetoes.
Finally, in 2003, President Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act into Law.
In 2003, the Committee promoted a more limited postcard campaign, urging the U.S. Senate to pass a bill banning human cloning. The Senate has not yet acted. The debate continues.
In 2005, the Committee launched a major campaign directed at the U.S. Senate on the question of judicial nominations, urging that support for Roe v. Wade not be a condition for serving on the federal bench. In 2005 and 2006, judicial nominees were not filibustered. Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito were confirmed.
Responses to the Postcard Campaigns
Reactions on Capitol Hill:
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