The loyal opposition: Catholics for a free choice

Dissent from church teaching on abortion is not unusual within the American Catholic community. Although Catholic teaching holds that direct abortion is morally impermissible, a substantial number of American Catholics believe that abortion can be a moral option. Moreover, a large majority of American Catholics disagree with their bishops’ position that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances. In the early 1970s, a small group of Catholic laity founded Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) to oppose Catholic church efforts to reinstate restrictive abortion laws in New York. Founding members included Patricia McQuillan Fogarty, Joan Harriman, and Meta Mulcahy, three Catholic feminists who were members of the local New York chapter of the National Organization for Women. CFFC is a national educational organization with a board of directors, an operational staff of approximately ten people, and a headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization which is primarily foundation-financed.