Twenty-five years of relentless abortion marketing has drugged some of us to the point of indifference. Only an electorate numbed by "pro-choice" PR would tolerate a president who vetoes congressional bans on partial-birth abortion—a procedure which grotesquely kills the unborn child in the very act of being born; an act so bloody and brutal no one could have imagined it 25 years ago.

People who know and love Jesus Christ know the truth about the unborn: The truth is, no matter how inconvenient, unborn children are children of God and human beings with inalienable rights like the rest of us. But unlike the rest of us, they have no voice to organize or lobby or defend themselves. That task falls to us, as a Church and as individuals.

Over the past quarter century, the Church has worked hard—often in solidarity with other Christian and other religious groups—to defend the sanctity of human life from womb to natural death. Even though Roe still stands, pro-life Catholics have won some significant victories: Most doctors today refuse to perform abortions; medical students are not required to learn the abortion procedure; and the general public still overwhelmingly regards abortion as wrong. Pro-life postcard campaigns defeated the pro-abortion Freedom of Choice Act and forced abortion to be dropped from the Health Care bill and Federal Insurance Plan.

At the same time, the Church has reached out to counsel and comfort many thousands of women who have had abortions and now struggle with the guilt and pain that inevitably follow.

Brothers and sisters, we have plenty of proof that our actions make a difference. And action this month, as we observe this bitter anniversary, is especially needed.

The bishops of the United States have asked all dioceses in our country to take part in a national postcard campaign against partial-birth abortion. I strongly endorse this campaign for the Church in northern Colorado, and I appeal to every parish and every Catholic believer to support it.

President Clinton has twice vetoed congressional efforts to ban this barbaric procedure. In 1998, Congress will again attempt to override his veto. While the House vote seems secure, the Senate remains several votes short of the necessary override margin. I ask all of you, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, to fill out the postcards you will receive this weekend (January 24-25) in your parish. Mail them to your U.S. senators; let them know that partial-birth abortion is intolerable. Let them know you expect them to vote to override the president's veto—and that this is an issue on which you will hold them accountable at the ballot box.

Twenty-five years of abortion on demand have nearly cost America its soul. But there is still time to change that, and we who believe in Jesus Christ—the Lord of life—are not powerless. Every postcard will make a difference. Through you, and only through you, the unborn will be heard.

May God bless each of you and your families for your witness on behalf of His "little ones."