The Independent News Source
NCR on Kindle - NCR classifieds - YouTube - Twitter - Facebook - Email Alerts - RSS
PDF versionObama reveals task force to reduce abortions
In press conference, says Freedom of Choice Act not a high priority
Apr. 30, 2009
President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that he had formed a White House task force to work with pro-life and pro-choice groups to develop policies aimed at reducing the number of abortions in America.
He also sent a clear signal to his abortion critics that the Freedom of Choice Act, which would lift abortion restrictions and to which he offered support as a candidate for the presidency, is not a high legislative priority.
Pro-life groups, including many Catholic groups, have been critical of the Obama administration during its first 100 days for being insensitive to their causes.
The presidential task force remark marked the first time the Democratic president, who, during the campaign leading up to his election, had said he would work to reduce abortions, let it be known that such a group had been formed.
“I would like to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies that result in women feeling compelled to get an abortion, or at least considering getting an abortion,” the president said in a nationally televised press conference inside the White House, “particularly if we can reduce the number of teen pregnancies, which has started to spike up again.”
“And so I've got a task force within the Domestic Policy Council in the West Wing of the White House that is working with groups both in the pro-choice camp and in the pro-life camp, to see if we can arrive at some consensus on that.”
The announcement came in an answer to a question during which the president clearly tried to dampen harsh criticisms he is insensitive to the unborn.
As evidence his critics point to his support for the choice act, his January executive order overturning the Mexico City policy that required non-governmental organizations receiving federal funding to refrain from performing or promoting abortions, and by his lifting of some restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.
During the press conference CNN Correspondent Ed Henry noted the controversy that has erupted surrounding the invitation by Notre Dame to the president to deliver the 2009 commencement address at the university in mid-May. That invitation that has triggered some 30 U.S. bishops to demand that it be rescinded.
Following his lead in to his question, Henry asked Obama if he still hopes, as he had indicated during his election campaign, that Congress quickly send him the Freedom of Choice Act to sign?
Some neutral observers have suggested the choice act has virtually no chance of making it through Congress. Yet it has been a flag raising, rallying cry for anti-abortion forces to portray Obama’s support for the legislation as evidence he is a solidly “pro-abortion” president.
NCR: February 3-16, 2012
Subscribe to NCR to get all the news and special features that aren't always available online. In this issue:
- US News: Bishops Host Conference on Immigration
Conference fields advocates' questions on law, policy
- Special Section: Deacons. Serving as parish administrator; roles of wives; and more
- Study: Black Catholics are more engaged
New study by Notre Dame researcher about parish involvement in America
Obama appeared to try to repaint this portrait, saying that signing the choice act is not among his high priorities.
“Mr. President. In a couple of weeks, you're going to be giving the commencement at Notre Dame,” Henry said. “And, as you know, this has caused a lot of controversy among Catholics who are opposed to your position on abortion.
“As a candidate, you vowed that one of the very things you wanted to do was sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which, as you know, would eliminate federal, state and local restrictions on abortion. And at one point in the campaign when asked about abortion and life, you said that it was above — quote, above my pay grade.
“Now that you've been president for 100 days, obviously, your pay grade is a little higher than when you were a senator. Do you still hope that Congress
quickly sends you the Freedom of Choice Act so you can sign it?”
Obama said he wants “to tamp down some of the anger surrounding this issue” and the choice act “is not the highest legislative priority.”
He went on: “You know, the — my view on — on abortion, I think, has been very consistent. I think abortion is a moral issue and an ethical issue.
“I think that those who are pro-choice make a mistake when they — if they suggest — and I don't want to create straw men here, but I think there are some who suggest that this is simply an issue about women's freedom and that there's no other considerations. I think, look, this is an issue that people have to wrestle with and families and individual women have to wrestle with.
“The reason I'm pro-choice is because I don't think women take that — that position casually. I think that they struggle with these decisions each and every day. And I think they are in a better position to make these decisions ultimately than members of Congress or a president of the United States, in consultation with their families, with their doctors, with their clergy.
“So — so that has been my consistent position. The other thing that I said consistently during the campaign is I would like to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies that result in women feeling compelled to get an abortion, or at least considering getting an abortion, particularly if we can reduce the number of teen pregnancies, which has started to spike up again.
“And so I've got a task force within the Domestic Policy Council in the West Wing of the White House that is working with groups both in the pro-choice camp and in the pro-life camp, to see if we can arrive at some consensus on that.
Fox is NCR Editor and can be reached at tfox@ncronline.org
What exactly does this mean.
What exactly does this mean. I trust that they will invite the USCCB in to discussions, or at least representatives from large archdioceses in the most affected regions. I pray that President Obama will embrace the Gospel of Life... Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The problem with "inviting"
The problem with "inviting" the USCCB into the discussion would be that with the American bishops, there would be no discussion. They would be telling the Committee what to think and what to do - because - they do not know how to listen - they do not know how to honor another person's conscience. Sadly, a bishop on this committee would be a stumbling block.
Bishops are listeners (they
Bishops are listeners (they hear confessions?). But listening is not the issue. 3000/day are being aborted in the US....it is time for action.
Oh good, you're looking for
Oh good, you're looking for meaning.
Hooray.
(Good readers revisit the text multiple times.)
Maybe a lightbulb will go on for you.
I commend the President for
I commend the President for this step, however small, on a path that may lead him away from his embrace of the Culture of Death. He is right, this is not an issue that belongs in the hands of the federal government. It is an issue decided by God when He told us "thou shalt not kill".
I applaud President Obama for taking seriously the crticism that he has been subject to in the last 100 days on the issue of respect for life. He is on the mark on the death penalty, and it is good to see that he is at least willing to listen to the voices pleading for lives of the innocent unborn child in the womb.
In what way is Obama on the
In what way is Obama on the mark on the death penalty? During the campaign, when the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty could not be extended to allow executions for child rapists, Obama said he was opposed to the decision and in favor of the death penalty for people guilty of this terrible offense. Again and again, people contrast Obama to Bush on the death penalty, but there does not seem to be any difference. Obama supported broadening the use of the death penalty! He is also on record defending the death penalty for purposes of expressing people's outrage, which sounds dangerously close to vengeance. As President, he has the opportunity to pardon or commute the death sentences of people on federal death row. I know there is at least one such person, Donald Fell, who kidnapped a Vermont woman, took her across the state line into NY, and murdered her. If Obama is on the mark, he can easily show that he is by commuting this very repentent young man's sentence, which was handed down over the objections of Vermont's bishop at the time, Kenneth Angell. If you are looking for leaders who put their energy into real efforts to end the death penalty, you have only to look to Las Cruces Bishop Ramirez and Denver Archbishop Chaput, both of whom played major parts in persuading legislators in their respective states to abolish the death penalty.
The plan Obama's task force will come up with is easily predictable. It will be a contraception initiative, with millions of dollars going to organizations like Planned Parenthood. In the meantime, the State Children's Health Insurance Plan now has no coverage for the unborn, because Congress did not include it and Obama, unlike Bush, did not issue a regulation requiring it. The Pregnant Women Support Act, which has been introduced but has never made it out of committee in the last two sessions of the Democratic Congress, has just been reintroduced in the Senate and House. This bill, which would have created jobs as well as helped pregnant women carry their children to term by alleviating financial, child care, housing, insurance and other worries, could easily have been melded into the stimulus bill or the budget bill. This is often done; a bill's language is just assimilated into a huge appropriations or budget bill. Democrats have been in power since 2006. It is very difficult to believe that the introduction every year of the Pregnant Women Support Act is anything more than window dressing and an attempt to placate Democrats for Life. Look for Obama to speak about it at Notre Dame as something wonderful and new. We wait for proof, constantly praying for the conversion of his heart.
God bless you President
God bless you President Obama. Finally we have an elected official who is actually doing something to reduce the number of abortions.
The campaign against Obama's
The campaign against Obama's invitation to Notre Dame's commencement is deplorable.
The Bishops who have ramped it up are sadly warped with distorted understanding of real life issues.
AMEN to this!
AMEN to this!
I'll second that, thank you
I'll second that, thank you very much.
I appreciate your getting
I appreciate your getting together a task force to try to reduce the number of abortions. I disagree with your take that all women struggle before getting an abortion. I think some of them do but I would say that a large percentage use this as birth control, admittedly, not the easiest kind, but a can-do if necessary. Please keep parents in the picture of under age teens. Some parents would council their child and give her options that an abortion clinic would not. President Obama you are doing a great job. I don't envy you your stress level. But I must say, you seem very relaxed (which I don't believe). God bless you in all you do.
In a recent talk on his
In a recent talk on his website, Word on Fire, Fr. Robert Barron, professor of theology at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago and one of the most articulate spokespeople for Catholicism in our country today (a man totally opposed to abortion and strongly pro-life) argued that Obama's writings showed that he was not entirely comfortable with abortion. The President's press conference statement that he considers abortion "a moral issue and an ethical issue" [and not merely a question of a woman's supposed "right"] lends support to Barron's contention. It remains to be seen whether Obama's moral qualms about abortion can withstand the overwhelming political and financial pressures of his campaign contributors who see abortion solely as a woman's "right."
Obama, as always, tries to
Obama, as always, tries to speak common sense on the abortion issue. Sadly, the far right and clergy will still demand the man's blood.
I got that message at Mass a couple of weeks ago when the local pastor got up and said if he were ill and any treatment came from embryonic stem cells were available to save him, he would pass on it. He also told the congregation to put orders for refusal of treatment in their durable powers of attorney and other legal documents. Talk about a guy speaking above his pay grade!
"I guess we'll just have to find a way to end this presidency as soon as we can," the pastor intoned. Yeah, right, padre. Let's see. Stock in Cabela's (Whose family pretty much built a new church in Sidney, Neb. recently.), Bass Pro, Remington Arms, Colt and Smith & Wesson are all up. Why? Everyone out west is arming themselves to take on the government in some sort of apocalyptic battle. Also, go to meetings with some of these folks and they want "kill that n-----." Thanks, father, for stirring the pot of violence and murder.
Idiots. Again, the simple rule: Let the collection basket pass you by. Give to your local homeless shelter or United Way or other charity that helps real people in need.
I have yet to hear our new
I have yet to hear our new pastor speak out against Obama from the pulpit. Instead, we have "Pray to end abortion" signs outside the church, along with the occasional rant in the "Pastors Corner" of the bulletin about how deplorable it is for Obama to be concerned about prisoners of war and not fetuses. Oh and recently we had a blurb in the bulletin about how we should send red envelopes to the White House representing an abortion. Will any of these actions prevent one single abortion? No...they just make people feel morally superior.
I agree with you. There are
I agree with you. There are those who become fearful at the thought of change and then angrily make outrageous comments. Flexibility and careful listening is required: Qualities I think the President has. My neighbor a good Baptist asked enthusiastically, if I thought Sara Palin would make a good President. I said, "No." We agreed to disagree. My battle is with those who send me e-mails of supposedly funny situations, ridiculing the President. They're not original but found on the internet. Granted it is not as powerful a message as a priest ranting, but it is still irksome, troublesome and undermines the efforts of the President. I tell them, not to send anymore and that I think the President needs all the support we can give him. So far it is working and we are still e-mailing. I cannot imagine what this Nation would do without President Obama.
Bishop Finn el al wants 'to
Bishop Finn el al wants 'to go to war'
Obama has a task force to reduce abortions.. Will some bishop in the USA step up and get a new message out to both Catholics and fellow Americans that Catholics are changing our strategy and we want to drastcally reduce abortions and not put our energy in trying to change and enforce un-enforcable laws. RU486 is available in every HS and at least 50% of the HS staff thinks that's great.. Finn places his war hopes that the US Marshall Service will enforce the LAW in these High Schools .. surely some bishop can get with a better strategy...
They do not give out RU486
They do not give out RU486 like candy, as you seemingly imply. What will be available over the counter will be so called Plan B, the morning after pill.
RU486 is also called mifepristone. Plan B is progestorone. They are very different drugs administered at very different times and for very different reasons.
Plan B may prevent ovulation and the implantation of a blastocyst prior to gastrulation. As such, it prevents life rather than takes it.
RU 486 causes a miscarriage, killing the embryo or fetus. It is only prescribed under a doctors care and may result in complications due to bleeding and use too far into a pregnancy.
No point made .. HS don't
No point made .. HS don't give our marijana and meth either.. DUH DUH
There is much inflated
There is much inflated misinformation: it is great to read factual information. Thank you!
Plan B can prevent
Plan B can prevent implantation, so technically, from a moral perspective, it can cause abortions. See article below for more detailed explanation.
http://cathmedweek.blogspot.com/2006/12/plan-b.html
That is the clearest most
That is the clearest most ethical statement I have ever heard on this issue. It should be shared with all groups across the nation, If those thirty bishops who are protesting his appearance were open-minded, which they seem not to be, they would rescind their complaint and applaud this ethical, thoughtful man.
I knew Pres. Obama's feelings
I knew Pres. Obama's feelings on this all along. You only had to read and listen to get this.
Now I hope the people in my parish that condemned me for voting for Obama-Biden will wake up but I'm not holding my breath on this. I, personally, know abortion is murder, teen pregnancy is a sin and I could go on and on.
Now, a little story I have a problem forgetting. Forty some years ago I was pregnant with my 5th child and my husband had lost his job. We fought, and I mentioned this during confession hoping to get sympathy. The priest told me I was careless, I should learn about natural birth control. I was causing my husband and marriage stress. My husband and I got over it and this son is a joy and source of pride today. Did the church help? Don't count on that either.
The Church cannot help as it
The Church cannot help as it does not KNOW what the Church has taught over its entire history:
Circa 380 CE: The Apostolic Constitutions allowed abortion if it was done early enough in pregnancy. But it condemned abortion if the fetus was of human shape and contained a soul.
St. Augustine (354-430 CE) accepted the Aristotelian Greek Pagan concept of "delayed ensoulment". He wrote that a human soul cannot live in an unformed body. 3 Thus, early in pregnancy, an abortion is not murder because no soul is destroyed (or, more accurately, only a vegetable or animal soul is terminated).
Pope Innocent III (1161-1216): He determined that a monk who had arranged for his lover to have an abortion was not guilty of murder if the fetus was not "animated" at the time.
Early in the 13th century, he stated that the soul enters the body of the fetus at the time of "quickening" - when the woman first feels movement of the fetus. Before that time, abortion was a less serious sin, because it terminated only potential human person, not an actual human person.
Pope Sixtus V (1588) issued a Papal bull "Effraenatam" which threatened those who carried out abortions at any stage of gestation with excommunication and the death penalty.
Pope Gregory XIV (1591) revoked the previous Papal bull and reinstated the "quickening" test, which he determined happened 116 days into pregnancy (16½ weeks).
Pope Pius IX (1869) dropped the distinction between the "fetus animatus" and "fetus inanimatus." The soul was believed to have entered the pre-embryo at conception.
Leo XIII (1878-1903): He Issued a decree in 1884 that prohibited craniotomies. This is an unusual form of abortion used under crisis situations late in pregnancy. It is occasionally needed to save the life of the pregnant woman.
He issued a second degree in 1886 that prohibited all procedures that directly killed the fetus, even if done to save the woman's life.
Canon law was revised in 1917 and 1983 to refer simply to "the fetus." The church penalty for abortions at any stage of pregnancy was, and remains, excommunication.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_hist_c.htm
“And so I've got a task force
“And so I've got a task force within the Domestic Policy Council in the West Wing of the White House that is working with groups both in the pro-choice camp and in the pro-life camp, to see if we can arrive at some consensus on that.”
With the Catholic Church (read: the bishops) being held hostage by the Republican Party - under the guise that they (GOP)are the only one's willing to overturn RvW. The realities are that, for the past 8 years, the GOP has been in control of the Supreme Court, both branches of the Legislature, and the Executive branch...and RvW has not been overturned. President Bush, on several occasions, stated that the did not find any evidence of the need to overturn RvW.
The bishops are not looking for "consensus", but for absolute control over the issues of the pelvic region. Those who loudly protest....
The "SINGLE ISSUE PRO-BIRTH"
The "SINGLE ISSUE PRO-BIRTH" (perennially preoccupied with the Pelvis area of women) BISHOPS ought to consider a move to the "LOST PARADISE"
Lost Paradise: From Mutiny On The Bounty To A Modern-Day Legacy Of Sexual Mayhem, The Dark Secrets Of Pitcairn Island Revealed
Kathy Marks
Free Press
Book review: Pitcairn: Paradise Lost
5:00AM Friday May 30, 2008
Ewart Barnsley
Shortly after landing at Bounty Bay, a message was flashed over Pitcairn's radio telephones urging islanders to hurry outside because a plane was flying by. I joined them to look up into the Pacific sky.
Such is Pitcairn's isolation that even a rapidly disappearing vapour trail at 11,000m is a significant event in daily life.
That isolation is the backdrop to Kathy Marks' revealing book. She describes how a community founded by the mutineers from the Bounty, and then portrayed by Hollywood and ill-informed romantics as some sort of Pacific Utopia, descended into a society one island woman described as "sheer hell".
On a remote island largely ignored by the rest of the world, men related to Bounty mutineers bullied, raped and abused with impunity.
Their victims were also descendants of the mutineers - the daughters of the men's relatives and friends far too young and frightened to resist. When children did dare to complain to parents, they were usually beaten or ignored.
Parents were not the only ones to fail their children. Marks exposes a shameful litany of authority figures - diplomats, church leaders and teachers - from Britain, Australia and New Zealand who suspected Pitcairn's dark secrets but looked the other way.
"I just did my job and minded my own business," said one teacher trained in New Zealand to recognise signs of sexual abuse. (Charges of sex abuse against another New Zealand teacher were dropped because of his age and ill health.)
One island girl - now estranged from her family - finally did complain in 1999 of child rape. Britain, no longer able to duck its responsibility to its last remaining Pacific possession, ordered police to start the aptly named Operation Unique which led to prosecutions on Pitcairn and later in New Zealand.
Marks, Sydney-based correspondent for The Independent in Britain, myself and four others, became "the chosen six" - the only media allowed by British authorities to report to an astonished world from Pitcairn in 2004 about widespread sexual abuse of island children by adult men.
Marks brings credit to her profession: she was fair and fearless in her reporting from Pitcairn, and continues to be so in a book that looks well beyond the trials and into life itself in this secretive community. If there is a criticism, it is that she leaves too many questions unanswered, and provides too few photographs of an island most will never visit.
Marks' description of Pitcairn is sinister and threatening: teenage pregnancies were rife, men used violence only against women and children, girls were described by one abuser as "meat" and a convicted rapist goes fishing with the father of the child he assaulted.
Marks' book, however, is incomplete. The missing chapter relates to how she, and I, and the other three colleagues who stayed on (the sixth returned to New Zealand after two weeks) worked and lived on Pitcairn - a place so small that even away from court, at the post office, jaunting on a quad bike or fishing on the rocks below Down Rope you would rub shoulders with a man accused of sexually abusing a child.
The media shared a house which, at times, seemed like the set for a middle-aged version of that old BBC comedy, The Young Ones.
It was a hospitable place - certainly for the police, prosecution lawyers, diplomats and the few islanders supporting Operation Unique, all frequent visitors.
But our open door policy, I believe, may have contributed to a glaring media failure: none of us got the one interview that really mattered, with any of the accused men. Certainly, those men were openly hostile to us from the day we landed, but the level of our socialising with those they regarded as a threat did nothing to ease that resentment. Stories still remain to be told.
Nevertheless, Marks' book rightly salutes the bravery of Pitcairn's few heroes - the women who complained to police and then had the courage to re-tell their harrowing stories in court where they confronted their abusers.
But even as adults, Marks writes, those women were let down again - this time, by Pitcairn's legal system (the judges and lawyers - both prosecution and defence - were New Zealanders). One woman complained to Marks that the lenient sentence imposed against the abuser who destroyed her childhood was "like a slap on the wrist".
Pitcairn's prison will soon be empty of its inmates and converted into accommodation for tourists.
Marks' book, compelling as it is, will change little, especially among so-called "friends" of Pitcairn who viewed the trials as a British conspiracy to destroy the community.
On her website, Pitcairn Islander Meralda Warren describes her home as being "in the ninth year of its fragmentation", and writes of human rights and "the strength to hold our heads high".
Warren is writing about those she calls "the ones wrongfully accused" - sadly, not their abused victims.
* Ewart Barnsley covered the Pitcairn abuse trials for TVNZ.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/books/news/article.cfm?c_id=134&objectid=10513...
The quickest way to kill an
The quickest way to kill an issue is to turn it over to a "task force". Said task force will come up with some milquetoast recommendations that will never be implemented.
Anyone who believes this shifty character is naive. Folks, he supported infanticide in Illinois for born-alive aborted babies.
That's ghoulish, not "ethical and moral."
Sorry, Dwight, you are
Sorry, Dwight, you are mistaken when you say that Obama "supported infanticide for born-alive aborted babies." He did vote against a law that would mandate providing care for these babies BECAUSE THERE WAS ALREADY SUCH A LAW ON THE BOOKS and he deemed another one to be unnecessary.
This is the kind of misstatement - I will not call it a lie because I have no idea as to whether you believe your statement to be true or not - that completely discredits the noble cause you wish to serve. I am with you regarding that cause but misrepresenting anyone else's views or action, whether deliberately or by mistake, does no credit to that cause.
This is nothing different
This is nothing different from President Obama's campaign talks...he mentioned FOCA once and repeatedly said that ways to ameliorate the conditions that lead a woman to choose abortion were important...the only people who have been talking FOCA up are the pro-life movement, as it gives them something to "hang on to" to bring people together. Is the pro-life movement ready to improve conditions for women so that they don't choose abortion? Are they ready to improve conditions for poor & disabled children? Are they ready to work with single parents??
The proof will be in the pudding...for both Obama and for the pro-life movement.
The reason Obama said, "to
The reason Obama said, "to see if we can arrive at some consensus on that" rather than "to arrive at a consensus" is because the Catholic Church's position that abortion's absolute immorality requires absolute illegality makes getting consenus on policy hugely uncertain.
Because many of the Church's heirarchs do not accept the nature of Democracy, probably due to the fact they operate within a feudal monarchicial power structure, someone will always be condemning the government for not imposing itself upon its citizens with regard to moral issues the way the Church does it. Setting the stage for women to be able to make choices of which the Catholic Church approves will simply not suffice with regard to this issue.
Excellent article. I have
Excellent article. I have always supported Barack Obama for all the work he consistently does to promote justice and help the poor, and even here, in an area where some Catholics have chosen to hate him and act totally non-Christian, he shows his willingness to work for good. God bless you Mr. President.
It's more like 50+
It's more like 50+ Bishops...not 30.
I do think Mr. Obama is more open to the pro-life side than we think...I agree with the above comments that from his writings and comments here recently, there is a side of abortion (themoral and ethical reality) that we need to look more closely at.
At last a president who is
At last a president who is willing to work with both sides of the issue...I am against abortion but I was never faced with that decision, I don't know the worries or thoughts that go through a woman's mind when they find themselves pregnant and unable to feed, cloth and educate another child...the church makes it very difficult for women and their husbands to safely have sexual relations without birth control....I know for a fact that many, many good catholic couples have used birth control, not only the natural method that the church approves but others. Are these couples being accused of pre abortion? I read a great deal on the subject of abortion and comments that our Holy Father has make and if I am not mistaken he has been quoted as saying "using birth control is the beginning of abortion, I don't understand this thought of his, but again, I do know many married couples who are very good Catholics that have no guilt feeling of using birth control through out there marriage, just where do they stand, especially the ones who blast President Obama....?
The church lost major
The church lost major credibility with the contraceptive encyclical (humane vitae) as they were outraged that Catholics rightly decided to exercise their moral autonomy in deciding on the number of children within the family.
The fact that the church is actually still trying to associate contraception with abortion is both laughable and pathetic. It's an act of desperation and a lie that continually remains rightfully unconvincing. And arguments based on that over these past few decades, if not centuries, have not worked and will not work.
The "my way or the highway" baloney has run its course. President Obama needs support as he deals with the abortion issue.
He has mine...... and that of millions of catholics. He will succeed.
Look at Humanae Vitae over
Look at Humanae Vitae over forty years later. I don't think it is the Church that has lost its credibility. It seems that everything Pope Pius VI stated would happen in a contraceptive culture has come true: abortion, the abuse of women, divorce, break-up of the family. So society says contraception is good and we see the results. The Church said it is wrong, and its predicted consequences have come true. Who am I believing?
Abortion is taking the life
Abortion is taking the life of a little baby. Our Founding Fathers never dreamed they were creating a new country that would one day kill their unborn children. Does any women have the right to kill her child? NO! If a mother doesn't want her baby there is always adoption. When a politician says it is a women's right (to kill) about the baby and the father's rights? President Obama is a smart man. He knows what is right and what is wrong. I can only say that politics is reason he won't come out and say it is wrong to abort a baby.
Yes, the way to reduce the
Yes, the way to reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the number of teen and other unplanned pregnancies. As President Obama has said:
“I would like to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies that result in women feeling compelled to get an abortion, or at least considering getting an abortion,” the president said in a nationally televised press conference inside the White House, “particularly if we can reduce the number of teen pregnancies, which has started to spike up again.”
“And so I've got a task force within the Domestic Policy Council in the West Wing of the White House that is working with groups both in the pro-choice camp and in the pro-life camp, to see if we can arrive at some consensus on that.”
The Problem is going to be with the ultra-conservative, right wing, radical, harrassing, intimidating and sometimes violent Right to Life members who consider abortion and contraception in the same breath and as the same thing.
If the president can get intelligent people from both camps to sit down and discuss the issues leaving out the bishops who are fixated on pelvic issues and want the goverment to legislate for morality and what belongs strictly in a religious denomination's definition of what is sexually acceptable or not, maybe we can get somewhere.
But you can be sure nothing constructive will happen as long as the Roman Catholic Church seeks to force the whole of society to by into contraception and comdoms as morally wrong for everyone and a mortal sin for Catholics, not that Catholics who are not clergy believe that anyway.
This man is simply amazing,
This man is simply amazing, he is open to everything and everyone. He thinks things through and doesn´t mind taking a back step when he sees he may have gone too far. More power to him and lets hope some of his critics can see things as clearly as he does; Senator Specter is no fool, a good many other Republicans and certain Catholic theologians ought to have a change of heart too. I´m totally pro-life but certainly can see the other point of view even while opposing it.
I have a couple of points to
I have a couple of points to touch... First, the case of Notre Dame. Inviting the President to speak, ok, but, conferring an honorary degree to some one so pro-abortion and other moral issues, should not be. Remember, ND is disobeying the Catholic Bishops concerning conferring awards, etc. to people so against moral values. But, instead of using so much energy and all protesting, let's pray the Lord will touch his heart while at that special, spiritual campus.
Using our tax money to promote abortions and birth control in other countries should be a complete "no,no." We have people on soup kitchen lines in our own backyard.
Of course, I am very, very pro-life. Have a 40 yr. old that I was told I had to abort because it would be my 4th c-section in 4 1/2 yrs. -- the first baby died right after he was born because the doctors' mistake and I ended in the icu with 4 blood transfusions -- then had two more babies and was told another pregnancy would kill me. That pregnancy I was to "terminate because of the mother's health" is the 40 yr. old that just got back from a 15 mo. tour in Iraq and his next assignment will be teaching at West Point for 2 years. So many times during his life I have thought to myself... "My Lord, I would have killed that child!"
As far as politics is concerned, I only regret we did not have a better Republican candidate. And, let's not judge by just 100 days and appearances. All of this brings to mind when Fidel Castro was trying to take over Cuba and, when someone would whisper that he was communist, people would be terribly angry, especially the Cubans. I remember people saying..."My God, don't say that!" Do I need to say any more?
God bless us all and have mercy on those who kill the innocent and most helpless ones. Mothers, teach good moral values to your children, and we will see a decline in "unwanted pregnancies."
I also have two points to
I also have two points to address.
First Notre Dame. Have you sat down and spoken to President Obama to decide he is "so pro-abortion", or are you just repeating someone else's opinion who really doesn't know as well? And what other moral issues are you speaking of? Enumerate them or leave this phrase out of it, as that is incredibly meaningless. If you take the time to examine his agenda, you will find there are many issues he holds in common with the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church (these teachings are found on the usccb website just in case you are not familiar with all of them).
Federal tax monies are not used to perform abortions in other countries. Inform yourself by going to the USAID.gov website, and read the amendments that prohibit this. And although the church is against artificial means of birth control, many others are not. Why should the church push this belief on others who are not Catholic, and do not believe the same we do. We, thankfully, do not live in a theocracy, which is why our Founding Fathers took great care to separate government and religion. It protects them from each other.
I honor you for the choice you made not to have an abortion. It was your choice, and you were willing to take the risk. But that does not allow any of us to sit in judgement on some else's decision, because we do not know all the circumstances of their decision. And speaking of Cuba, what has 50 years of refusing to engage with them done for the Cuban people and for us? By the way, this is a moral issue the bishops and the Obama administration agree on. Engagement is how things get solved, not through declaring war, demonizing another person, or slapping back an open hand. It is the way of Jesus, love, not hatred and disrespect.
Peace and blessings.
If we are honest as we look
If we are honest as we look at the past and current statements and actions of the Catholic Church on any matter related to sexuality, we must agree that the leaders are usually embarrassingly ill-informed about these issues. Let's see: homosexuality is an intrinsically disordered behavior- and that it is chosen; same sex marriage destroys heterosexual marriage; artificial birth control {The greatest deterrent to needing abortions possible}; masturbation; clerical celibacy while covering up case after case of abuse by priests and nuns. The claim that condoms do not prevent AIDS so Africans, or anyone else, can use them. The ironic and "holy" part in the equation is that so many Catholics still remain, even while simply ignoring these teachings! The sadder aspect is that younger Catholics look at the teachings and simply walk away.
The subject of abortion is simply not a closed issue. The gray area far outweighs the black and the white definitions!
Considering how the church is being led, must we just pray for white smoke over Saint Peter's again???
This always confuses me. If
This always confuses me. If abortion is a constitutional right, shouldn't it be a good. Look at out other rights: religion, free speech, equal protection, etc. These are all goods. No one is embarrassed to say they support free speech or equal protections. However, no one will say that they support abortion. Those who are "pro-choice" always say that "abortion should be rare." So, they are saying that what they uphold as a Constitutional right should be limited?? No one will ever say "I support someone's right to free speech, but it should be rare." No one will ever say, "I am personally opposed to equal protection, but I can't force that opinion on others." If abortion is something that no one publicly claims they support (while privately vote and support with money), then how can it be such a good?
The way to move pro-choice
The way to move pro-choice folks to an embrace of the Gospel of Life is not by strutting about talking of "war" ala Bishop Finn, but by gentle persuasion. And never doubt that pro-choicers can be so moved. Remember that Dr. Bernard Nathanson was once one of the biggest abortionists in NYC before becoming one of the most prominent pro-life advocates.
It is now more imperative
It is now more imperative than before, with President Obama indicating that he wants to work to reduce abortions for Catholics to continue to put pressure on their Representatives and Senators to become co-sponsors of the Pregnant Women Support Act (S 270 and HR 605 (being revised with input from the USCCB). This measure was one of the major issues from that Virginians were to bring to the attention of their elected officials in recent meetings organized by the Virginia Bishops.
This measure has been sponsored by the Democrats For Life in the current session of Congress and previous Sessions. For more information about the Bill and its intent visit http://www.democratsforlife.org/documents_etc/95-10/95-10%20Document%20_...
In summary, the intent of the legislation is to reduce the abortion rate by 95% in 10 years, hence the title 95-10.
I have only to say, God bless
I have only to say, God bless you, Mr. President and keep you safe. Thank you
for all you are doing for us and for the world.
Here's my response to those
Here's my response to those who are not satisfied with programs to reduce abortion in an effective and long lasting (until the baby is grown):
We can stop trying to legislate morality; we can earnestly stick to what we believe in terms of morality and ethics; we can do this by avoiding the position that everybody else has to act like us by leaving abortion legal and encouraging people who are against abortion to resolve it this way:
If you don't believe in abortion, don't have one!
President Obama talks the
President Obama talks the talk but he has not walked the walk...look at his
voting record which smacks of not only support for abortion-on-demand but
real infanticide both on the state and federal levels and with the rescinding
of the Mexico City policy also on the international scene...I am therefore
sceptical of any white house task force which will just be window-dressing
to placate the pro-life crowd which the President knows is vocal, unrelenting
and growing...more than half the voting public deplores the act of abortion
and is becoming un-easy with how swiftly and harshly this President has acted
to promote easy to access an abortion in his first 100 days...he must do more
than talk the talk to convince voters that he has had a Pauline moment on the
life issues.
As a prolife non-Catholic I
As a prolife non-Catholic I have found some of these posts rather astonishing. Some of the writers seem to reverence or adore President Obama while still maintaining to be prolife. This is naivete in the simplest form. The scriptures say that "a fountain cannot produce both pure water and foul water." As one writer stated Obama did not vote on a bill in Illinois to save the life of an aborted baby born alive. He voted "present" already back then looking to a bright future in the liberal democrat party.
Think about it, he is not even a good speaker, but he is only a good reader of a speech that someone else has written. For this so called oratory he has become the president of the greatest country ever known to man. Watch him. He is arrogant and I don't believe he has any moral fiber at all. He will dance to the left who will never permit him to put forth a supreme court justice or federal judges that would vote for any prolife laws whatsoever. Think about this also. Why has he not allowed Columbia or Harvard to release any of his paper work or thesis? Huh Huh?
Common ground? I think so and
Common ground? I think so and I'm grateful for it. The poor bishops are wearing the "Emperor"s New Clothes".
Proof is in the pudding, as
Proof is in the pudding, as they say. Let's see what he does. It is refreshing to hear the President say it is a moral and ethical issue at least.
It should be interesting to see what he talks about when he speaks at ND. I will tape it, because I'll be in group prayer with my Bible Study group at the time of his speech. I have been told by many Christians they will be doing the same, during his speech.
I applaud the President..
I applaud the President.. Hopefully this will be the first step to a dialogue.. And I pray that our Bishops can realize that before a change of heart takes place, it must always come as a result of respectful dialouge.
Peace and Prayers!
I am so saddened by the Obama
I am so saddened by the Obama bashing I as a faith filled Catholic who is Pro Life received because after reading Call to a Faithful Citizenship and prayerfully considering ALL the topics for a president, I felt he was the best choice. His willingness to LISTEN is something new for our presidents and I pray he has the willingness to do so. When I disagree with his moral stance, I feel free to write to comments@whitehouse.gov
We all need to take gentle care with each other.
If you are a true Catholic, I
If you are a true Catholic, I would think you would disagree with his moral stance often. If being Pro Life is one of your main causes, why would you vote for him? If your main reason was to vote for his domestic programs, I could see your point. His moral points of view are strictly secular.
He ran on a plateform that was Pro-Choice, Pro-secular. I am curious, do you get any responses when writing to the white house comments email? Does he have a web site for upcoming bills, etc. to be voted on? I saw something on tv about that, but didn't get the web site.
Doesn't anyone realize how
Doesn't anyone realize how much good can be done for the living with the billions of dollars the government pays to the abortion industry to kill off a generation. How many children can be fed or educated with the money we pay to Planned Parenthood to kill their brothers and sisters?
For myself, I think that
For myself, I think that politicians should primarily judged by their actions rather than their words.
I suggest that anyone reading this go to Google, click the "News" tab, and search on "Obama taxpayer funded abortion DC". When I did this, I found several news articles that talk about how President Obama is asking for taxpayer money to fund abortions in Washington, DC. I think that any reasonable person would have to agree that this policy will increase, not decrease, the number of abortions. His other abortion-related policies (e.g. funding of overseas groups that perform and promote abortion) are also, to put it minimally, nothing for pro-life Americans to be cheer about.
On this issue, I believe that primary measure of any President is the policies he promotes and enacts, not the stated purpose of any "task force" he may create. The mere creation of this "task force" does not mean that Obama will enact any pro-life policies at all, let alone make up for the damage done by his pro-abortion policies.
Post new comment