Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center of Chilton County is asking people to mail empty red envelopes to President Barack Obama to make a statement.

Red Envelope Day, a grassroots Pro-Life movement, will be observed Tuesday, March 31. Each empty envelope symbolizes a life lost to abortion.

“It really is a concerted effort to send a message,” Lynda Beebe, the center’s director, said.

While the date March 31 was chosen arbitrarily by the project’s founder, Brian Potter, the envelopes will be arriving near the beginning of Holy Week, just prior to the start of Passover.

Supporters hope to convince Obama to reconsider his support of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would prohibit federal, state or local governments from denying or interfering with a woman’s decision to have an abortion.

The bill, according to NARAL Pro-Choice America president Nancy Keenan, would “codify Roe v. Wade,” which would “repeal the Bush-backed Federal Abortion Ban,” referring to the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, “and other federal restrictions.”

The bill’s opponents fear it would invalidate every restriction on abortion nationwide, such as parental notification laws, informed consent laws and bans on partial birth abortion.

Opponents also say FOCA would force taxpayers to subsidize abortion and could require doctors to provide abortions against their conscience. FOCA supporters, however, say existing conscience clause laws would protect hospitals from that aspect.

Anyone who wishes to participate in Red Envelope Day should send a standard-size, red envelope to The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20500. All envelopes should be postmarked by March 31.

“One of our board members bought a couple hundred of them and is going to share them with friends and church members,” Beebe said.

For more information, visit redenvelopeproject.org or redenvelopeday.com.