Weigel launches another Newsweek salvo at Catholic Obama supporters

[Michie]

Washington DC, Oct 24, 2008 / 07:09 am (CNA).-

The discussion over Catholic support for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama continued this past week as professors Nick Cafardi, Cathy Kaveny, and Doug Kmiec—all Obama backers—debated the topic with political commentator George Weigel in the pages of Newsweek. Obama’s Catholic supporters argued that Obama would serve the pro-life cause in other aspects, while Weigel charged that such arguments ignore or minimize Obama’s vigorous support for abortion rights.

The pro-Obama professors made their case in an October 17 essay on Newsweek Online. They argued that an Obama presidency would reduce the abortion rate and they advocated an “interconnected” approach to promote a “culture of life” through policies favoring a family wage, universal health care, and better parenting and education for youth.

“This greater appreciation for the totality of Catholic teaching is at the very heart of the Obama campaign,” they asserted. “It is scarcely a McCain footnote.”

The professors said Weigel’s recent criticism of their positions is “unassailable” in a perfect world, but they charged that the legal path to preventing abortion “has not worked to date, and it may never work.”

They claimed in their Newsweek essay that Obama recognizes abortion as “a tragic moral choice” but would implement other policies to help women in “adverse economic and social circumstances.”

“Is Obama the perfect pro-life candidate? No.” they conceded, but claimed the Democratic presidential nominee was better than Sen. John McCain. They charged McCain with doing “not much” to promote human life, arguing his policies do not provide for the uninsured, while in their view Obama’s health care plan is superior.

*snip*

The Pope had said:

“The moral history of your country is the story of your people's efforts to widen the circle of inclusion in society, so that all Americans might enjoy the protection of law, participate in the responsibilities of citizenship, and have the opportunity to make a contribution to the common good.

Whenever a certain category of people—the unborn or the sick and old—are excluded from that protection, a deadly anarchy subverts the original understanding of justice. The credibility of the United States will depend more and more on its promotion of a genuine culture of life, and on a renewed commitment to building a world in which the weakest and most vulnerable are welcomed and protected.”

Continued- http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14148

 

[JoabAnias]

Mod Hat On​

Thread repopened under the condition that dialog remains on the statement of the Pope in the spirit of the New political thread moratorium in OBOB:

Topics that are not affected:

• Any statement by the Bishops on the subject of discernment in voting. It does however require that such threads address the bishops and their statements and does not become an argument over candidates or attacks on someone’s political party. These threads are to address the theology and teaching of the statement. Such threads will be moderated closely so they do not slide into being political threads. Such statement must be from our Bishops not anyone or anywhere else.

• Threads involving social issues that intersect with politics. But as above, please keep away from candidates or parties.

Also the following still apply: Political Rules.

Mod Hat Off​

 

[InTheCloud]

I wonder if Universal Health Care under FOCA means coverage for abortion on demand.