A Catholic Brief for Obama

I am a Catholic pro-Life white Republican woman. I am voting for Obama.

People forget that BOTH Obama and McCain have been pro-Choice. McCain "flip-flopped" on this issue in 2004 when he started voting 90% with Bush. Prior to 2004 McCain was pro-Choice, and he even called Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance" (which in fact they were). Since that time he has stood on a stage with Jerry Falwell, praising him. So it is impossible to know what McCain actually thinks on this issue. Is he pandering to the religious right when he vows to overturn Roe v. Wade? What is really in his heart? How would he act if he were elected? Would you get the conservative McCain you see now, the liberal leftist McCain from 1999-2004? These inconsistencies disturb me. I know there is such a thing as political expedience, but the end result is that I can not trust McCain. Nobody knows his real views on abortion.

Furthermore, I think that Obama's position on abortion and many other issues is considerably more moderate than is generally assumed.

To all of the conservatives out there who think that Obama is a flaming liberal, I would like to remind you of what he did when he was elected President of the Harvard Law Review. The Law Review President gets to name ten individuals to write articles for the Review, and these ten people get to control the content of the publication. All of the minorities and the liberals thought they finally had it made, that Obama would appoint ten left wing editors. Instead, Obama appointed three conservatives, three liberals and four moderates. That year the Law Review was critically acclaimed as the best run and best written Harvard publication in decades.

So when he wins in November, conservatives don't have to freak out. Obama is a centrist and will appoint a balanced cabinet full of active people who will really get things done. This is exactly what our nation needs in this time of economic crisis.

I'm so glad this discussion is happening. The facts have been shown, over and over, that democratic policies are more effective at reducing the number of abortions performed. As Obama has said, everyone agrees on that goal. Democratic policies are also more in line with the teachings of the bible overall. What it should also point out is McCain's actual record. He has always been pro-choice and just decided to pander to the far-right to win this election.
As for "now for the truth" that must be one of those paid operatives of the McCain camp. S/he's copied the exact same dumb comment all over the place. Anyone who saw the debates or looked at actual policy analysis knows the truth. Obama is the better candidate for all Americans.

Do any of the Catholics, or pro-life fanatics, out there have the courage to answer the question I ask in my comments posted at 8:02 this morning? Didn't think so.
Antares888

Catholics like psdesert2008 are just not educated enough to understand the realities of our society. I completely relate to and understand what nins explained. Our country is not all Catholics. Catholics just don't see that, because they don't think outside of their own way of thinking. A proactive approach of dealing with an issue BEFORE it becomes a problem is the most efficient and smartest thing this country can do. There's no doubt that abortion is a horrible but sometimes necessary evil. It's not an easy choice for a woman to make. However, that choice should always remain hers, since she is the one who has to deal with the consequences herself. Would all the anti-abortionist like to individually care for all the babies that women would be forced to give labor to? Would they individually be able to care for the crack babies with down syndrome? Why don't we FORCE BY FEDERAL LAW all the Catholic churches to be responsible for them instead of the federal goverment? It's easy for them to FORCE their beliefs on the country, so perhaps we should FORCE the church to be responsible for the consequences? Hey, that would be an interesting idea? The Catholic church should take in and be responsible for all the crack babies without Federal or State funding!

It's absolutely ridiculous and irresponsible to condem birth control. Don't they realize they're teaching and giving the green light to unprotected sex? Birth control devices such as condoms have a multi-purpose use for them. Condoms protect you from contracting diseases too. We all know that even married couples are not immune to STDs. We all are fully aware that adultrey is out there even though the church condems that too.

www.journalstar.com/news/local/doc48f91ff41e8ce920547249.txt

Check out this site! Nebraska university cancells Ayers trip there !!!

UNL???s invitation to Ayers ??? a founder of Weather Underground, the group that claimed responsibility for the bombings of public buildings in protest of the Vietnam War ??? represented poor judgment from the start, Hassebrook said.

???My concern has been not with what he was going to say about education. It was that he???s an unrepentant terrorist,??? he said. ???(UNL) did the right thing.???
This is Obama's friend, people are catching on to who Obama really is and what he really stands for!!

Thank you, authors, for speaking for those of us who are practicing Catholics and see the bigger picture. And to the other member commentator, yes, the Catholic position on abortion is unassailable, as is the position on war, livable wages and many other issues. We live in an imperfect world and daily must make decisions that go against our faith--the clothing I put on this morning was probably made by a person who lacks their daily bread, whereas, today I will eat more calories than I need To base our vote on one issue, unborn babies, and ignore the suffering of the rest of the world is, for me, unconsciounable.

Thank you, authors, for speaking for those of us who are practicing Catholics and see the bigger picture. And to the other member commentator, yes, the Catholic position on abortion is unassailable, as is the position on war, livable wages and many other issues. We live in an imperfect world and daily must make decisions that go against our faith--the clothing I put on this morning was probably made by a person who lacks their daily bread, whereas, today I will eat more calories than I need To base our vote on one issue, unborn babies, and ignore the suffering of the rest of the world is, for me, unconsciounable.

I am a Catholic pro-Life white Republican woman. I am voting for Obama.

People forget that BOTH Obama and McCain have been pro-Choice. McCain "flip-flopped" on this issue in 2004 when he started voting 90% with Bush. Prior to 2004 McCain was pro-Choice, and he even called Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance" (which in fact they were). Since that time he has stood on a stage with Jerry Falwell, praising him. So it is impossible to know what McCain actually thinks on this issue. Is he pandering to the religious right when he vows to overturn Roe v. Wade? What is really in his heart? How would he act if he were elected? Would you get the conservative McCain you see now, the liberal leftist McCain from 1999-2004? These inconsistencies disturb me. I know there is such a thing as political expedience, but the end result is that I can not trust McCain. Nobody knows his real views on abortion.

Furthermore, I think that Obama's position on abortion and many other issues is considerably more moderate than is generally assumed.

To all of the conservatives out there who think that Obama is a flaming liberal, I would like to remind you of what he did when he was elected President of the Harvard Law Review. The Law Review President gets to name ten individuals to write articles for the Review, and these ten people also get to control the content of the publication. All of the minorities and the liberals thought they finally had it made, that Obama would appoint ten left wing editors. Instead, Obama appointed three conservatives, three liberals and four moderates. That year the Law Review was critically acclaimed as the best run and best written Harvard publication in decades.

So when he wins in November, conservatives don't have to freak out. Obama is a centrist and will appoint a balanced cabinet full of active people who will really get things done. This is exactly what our nation needs in this time of economic crisis.

Catholics helped to vote Pres, Bush into office for 2 terms, based on his committment to get Roe v. Wade reversed. Once elected, there has been no attempt to make this become a reality whatsoever. Wake up, this has been nothing but campaign rhetoric from the conservative party intended to garner the support from the Catholic community. If you support them again based on this false hope, you're allowing your true feelings to be prostituted, once again.

Please do not try to state Catholic Theology without having it approved by the church. This article is bad research, and all prpaganda. According to the Catholic Church, if a Catholic wishes to vote for a pro-abortion candidate it is permissible as long as two things are in place. 1. If you arent voting them specifically for the issue of be pro-abortion (this is a mortal sin) and 2. If you are voting for them for issues which are as grave as the abortion issue.

Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI as well as the Bishops of this country have stated this over and over. They have also stated that there is nothing as grave as the issue of the mass genocide of unborn babies which takes out number 2 which takes out when its permissible.

What a crock, like the church know the answer. First clean your kid porking priest. Than you can have a say, Women have the right to choose,not some dictacting self appointing Religous broker,thru me you get to the promise land B S.

No one likes abortion. No woman wakes up one morning and says to herself, "Gee, I'm pregnant, I'll go get an abortion today." It takes serious soul searching to come to this conclusion. What's worse to me is the daily news stories of beaten, or murdered infants or children who never stood a chance in the first place. And I'm talking about the ones done in by their own parents. Any woman seriously considering an abortion probably wouldn't make the best mother anyway. Why doom all these fetuses to a fate worse than death? A life of abject squallor, a life with an abusive or neglectful parent (s)? It doesn't seem real "christian" to me. But, what would I know, I've never been put in the place to have to decide if I'd have an abortion. I wanted both of my boys, but there are plenty of women who don't want and won't love their children no matter what. Let's start worrying about those who are already here. Oh and by the way, for all the Bible bangers out there....War is NOT Pro- Life.

Perhaps one of the commenters mentioned it below, and if so, I'm sorry for repeating. One thing that's seems to be rarely noted in the debate over abortion is that if abortion is outlawed, abortions will still occur. Now, this is not the starting point for an argument about botched abortions and their ill effects, but rather to make the point that even if the US does outlaw abortions, they will still occur. Thus, any pro-life policy should focus on abortion reduction, regardless of its legal status, as a first priority. If abortion reduction will be a necessary part of any pro-life agenda, no matter what the Supreme Court or legislatures do, why not get started now? If Obama wins, let's all pray that the moral force of millions of believers is directed to promoting life by reducing abortions, stopping unjust wars and assuring that capitalism works for the poor as well as the rich, among other things.

A I have an old question that I would like to ask all who consider a fetus equal to a live person:

You have two buildings, one containing a thousand fetuses, and the other containing one six (or any other) month old baby. Both buildings are on fire. You can ONLY save one building. Which building would you save? How strong is your "belief" (and that is what it is -- a "belief", not a "fact")? I have no problem with you "believing" whatever you want to, but, I do have a problem when you try to tell ME how or what to believe, or FORCE me to believe the same as you do.. I happen to "believe" that I am probably just as smart as you (and all the other "pro-life" fanatics).

I have an old question that I would like to ask all the others who consider a fetus equal to a live person:

You have two buildings, one containing a thousand fetuses, and the other containing one six (or any other) month old baby. Both buildings are on fire. You can ONLY save one building. Which building would you save? How strong is your "belief" (and that is what it is -- a "belief", not a "fact")? I have no problem with you "believing" whatever you want to, but, I do have a problem when you try to tell ME how or what to believe, or FORCE me to believe the same as you do.. I happen to "believe" that I am probably just as smart as you (and all the other "pro-life" fanatics)

I am a conservative Catholic, and I find abortion appalling. HOWEVER, I definitely believe the "culture of life" must reach far past life in the womb to include the welfare of children already born, the lives of our military, and the well-being of our elderly. If the Conservatives are basing their whole "culture of life" on this one issue, they are certainly missing the bigger picture.