This year when we gather on the bluff for a candlelight vigil in observance of the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion in 1973, we will not be content because of this decision 36 years ago.

Remembering is no longer enough.

It is time to take action, and the people to do it are you and me.

Legislation is in the works that is so unbelievably abhorrent that it takes Roe vs. Wade to a whole new level.

It is called the Freedom of Choice Act. Amazingly, this bill has been introduced several times and threatened with a veto each time.

The bill’s language has evolved over time, so its now more dangerous than ever.

As it stands now, FOCA would force taxpayers to fund abortion on demand; make the brutal procedure known as partial-birth abortion legal again; nullify all state laws requiring parental notification before performing an abortion on an underage girl; and put an end to conscience-protection laws which have always allowed hospitals, doctors and health care providers to opt out of participation in abortions.

These are only a few of the provisions that make this the most radical legislation in our time.

Even dedicated pro-choice persons should oppose FOCA because it endangers the life and health of women seeking abortions by striking laws that require abortions be performed only by licensed physicians and remove safety and sanitation regulations at abortion clinics.

Speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on July 17, President-elect Barack Obama promised that his first act in office will be to sign the bill into law.

With Democrats in control of both houses of Congress and an abortion-rights president, the outlook may well appear bleak for those who believe that every child conceived has a God-given right to live, but there is still reason to hope.

The main reason is that if the American people understand how FOCA will affect those things they care about, they will reject it outright and it will never reach the president’s desk.

As the Rev. Frank Pavone said, “The problem is not primarily who sits in the White House — it’s that we are just sitting in our houses.” He urges us to get into action and make our voices heard.

We of Pro-Life Natchez-Adams County want you to join us and your friends and neighbors from both sides of the river as we assemble for our annual candlelight vigil service and learn what we can do on behalf of those babies yet to be born.

We will gather at the gazebo on the bluff along with several local pastors and the beloved music group The Harrigill Family Singers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, rain or starlight.

This event will, as always, be a short one — about 30 minutes — but an important one.

We will supply the candles and the information you can use to make a real difference.

If ever there was a time when so many defenseless unborn children needed someone to speak for them, that time is now and that someone is you.

Please come.

Virginia O’Beirne is the co-chair of Pro-Life Natchez-Adams County.