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On 20 November 2009, the historic Manhattan Declaration was published. It is a momentous 4,700-word manifesto authored by Chuck Colson, Dr. Robert George and Dr. Timothy George, with input from many Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical leaders. The Manhattan Declaration draws a line in the sand on the three paramount issues of our time: the sanctity of human life, the sanctity of marriage as the holy and conjugal union of husband and wife, and the rights of religious liberty and conscience.

Its significant theme is, as the last paragraph states: "Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other antilife act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's".

Manhattan Declaration drafters are inviting all like-minded believers to sign on, but the potential ramifications are sobering. As Dr. James Dobson explained his signing of the Manhattan Declaration in regard to the passage of socialized health care with publicly funded abortion:

"I don't say this glibly at all. … Shirley and I will not be able to comply..... because it would make us participants in the killing of babies, and we can't and we won't do that. I don't know where all this is leading or what the implications are, but if we have to pay ruinous fines, or go to prison, or even if we have to leave this beloved country and spend the rest of our lives in exile, that's what we are prepared to do”. This must be the mettle of Manhattan Declaration signers.

Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and pro-aborts may have thought their biggest obstacle to publicly funded abortions in socialized health care were Catholic bishops. They were wrong. Now, by signing the Manhattan Declaration, a growing number of resolute pro-life Americans say they are willing to endure sanctions, imprisonment and even expatriation to defy involvement with abortion in any way, either with their tax dollars or by compulsory participation in preborn child killing. As Dobson stated on that same program, if our values are "not preserved at this moment of destiny, this nation and most others in the Western world will fold, and freedom itself will go down with it."

To date approximately 250,000 have signed the Manhattan Declaration. These include 168 religious leaders: 18 Catholic bishops: including Cardinal Rigali and Archbishops Wuerl and Chaput, nine bishops from other denominations, Eleven editors and publishers, 22 chancellors of universities, and 42 leaders of important ministries. These people are willing to pay the price to stand against tyranny. You can sign the Manhattan Declaration at www.ManhattanDeclaration.org. and challenge the Brumby government’s attempt to compel us to be involved in the evil of abortion.