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Opinion: Robert P. George on 'Obama's Abortion Extremism'
Catholic Online ^ | 10/16/08 | Deacon Keith Fournier

Posted on 10/15/2008 4:04:08 PM PDT by tcg

Barack Obama is the most extreme pro-abortion candidate ever to seek the office of President of the United States. He is the most extreme pro-abortion member of the United States Senate. Indeed, he is the most extreme pro-abortion legislator ever to serve in either house of the United States Congress.Yet there are Catholics and Evangelicals-even self-identified pro-life Catholics and Evangelicals - who aggressively promote Obama's candidacy and even declare him the preferred candidate from the pro-life point of view.

What is going on here?

I have examined the arguments advanced by Obama's self-identified pro-life supporters, and they are spectacularly weak. It is nearly unfathomable to me that those advancing them can honestly believe what they are saying. But before proving my claims about Obama's abortion extremism, let me explain why I have described Obama as ''pro-abortion'' rather than ''pro-choice.''

According to the standard argument for the distinction between these labels, nobody is pro-abortion. Everybody would prefer a world without abortions. After all, what woman would deliberately get pregnant just to have an abortion? But given the world as it is, sometimes women find themselves with unplanned pregnancies at times in their lives when having a baby would present significant problems for them. So even if abortion is not medically required, it should be permitted, made as widely available as possible and, when necessary, paid for with taxpayers' money.

The defect in this argument can easily be brought into focus if we shift to the moral question that vexed an earlier generation of Americans: slavery.

(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; catholics; mccain; moralabsolutes; obamatruth; prolife; robertgeorge; robertpgeorge
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Sen.Obama's views on life issues ranging from abortion to embryonic stem cell research mark him as not merely a pro-choice politician, but rather as the most extreme pro-abortion candidate to have ever run on a major party ticket.
1 posted on 10/15/2008 4:04:10 PM PDT by tcg
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To: tcg

Don’t forget Joe Biden is a Pro Abortion Catholic and the Senator Robert Casey is a Pro Abortion Catholic!

Will all the Catholic Cardinals and Bishops come out for Ted Kennedy’s funeral?


2 posted on 10/15/2008 4:14:06 PM PDT by ethics
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To: tcg

Wow. Any “Catholic” who votes for this guy needs to be excommunicated. Seriously, but I’m not holding my breath.


3 posted on 10/15/2008 4:17:52 PM PDT by SMCC1
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To: tcg
Two reasons why a pro-lifer might support Obama.

(1) They oppose abortion, but not that intensely. Hard to understand for fire breathers, but a fact of life nevertheless.

(2) They think that electing for "pro-life" candidates doesn't achieve anything regarding abortion, and thus isn't worthwhile as a deciding factor no matter how strongly one feels. It's pretty hard to argue with this one. Pro-life politicians have achieved nothing in 35 years.
4 posted on 10/15/2008 4:19:29 PM PDT by only1percent
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To: only1percent

You should read George’s article through. He shows that much has been achieved that Obama would threaten. To mention just one example, the ban on taxpayer-funded abortions would likely be overturned, meaning many thousands of additional lives lost.


5 posted on 10/15/2008 4:28:18 PM PDT by buridan
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To: tcg

abortions will go up when the economy weakens which is why I am very very worried for the future.


6 posted on 10/15/2008 4:44:14 PM PDT by ari-freedom ("He (Obama) cannot win, Bill. He cannot win" -Hillary)
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To: only1percent

the #1 thing pro-lifers can do to reduce abortion is to grow the economy.


7 posted on 10/15/2008 4:45:13 PM PDT by ari-freedom ("He (Obama) cannot win, Bill. He cannot win" -Hillary)
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To: tcg

Obama is repugnant.


8 posted on 10/15/2008 4:54:26 PM PDT by 1035rep
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To: tcg; informavoracious; larose; RJR_fan; Prospero; Conservative Vermont Vet; V V Camp Enari 67-68; ..
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.

Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment

Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”

Obama Doesn’t Want His Daughters Punished with a Baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNzmly28Bmg

CNN on Obama’s Infant Born Alive Act Rejection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPZCXcTwZPY

Jill Stanek on Obama and Born Alive Infant Protection Act (MUST SEE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo

Obama Cover-up Revealed On Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Bill

http://www.nrlc.org/ObamaBAIPA/ObamaCoverup.html

Explosive Audio Found Obama arguing against BAIPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypDwNpgIUQc

Babies left to die!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo

Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment
Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”

9 posted on 10/15/2008 4:55:06 PM PDT by narses (http://www.youtube.com/TheMouthPeace)
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To: tcg; 185JHP; 230FMJ; 50mm; 69ConvertibleFirebird; Aleighanne; Alexander Rubin; ...
Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]


10 posted on 10/15/2008 4:56:48 PM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: only1percent

Achieved nothing? How about the ban on partial-birth abortion? People need to get educated. Obama the abortionist pig wants to turn back the clock and lift the ban on partial-birth abortion.

Barack Obama recently said, ‘The first thing I’d do as president would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act,’ This legislation would wipe out all state and federal abortion restrictions including the partial-birth abortion ban.

Obama on the Freedom of choice act

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1RD2-fabA


11 posted on 10/15/2008 4:58:56 PM PDT by 1035rep
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To: ari-freedom

The slaughter will increase if Obama ever sits in the oval office.


12 posted on 10/15/2008 5:00:18 PM PDT by 1035rep
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To: only1percent
Pro-life politicians have achieved nothing in 35 years.

Au contraire. Support for abortion in our culture has tanked in 35 years. Three decades ago, public figures advertised their support for abortion as a positive good—a liberation for women. That eroded by the Clinton years, when Planned Parenthood started using the expression "pro-choice," in order not to name the "love" that could no longer be named.

Today, actual abortions are down from 1.6 million in 1990 to about 1.1 million annually. Popular support for abortion is at such a low ebb that, to protect Obama, the MSM debate moderators avoid the subject entirely. They remember the damage to Obama caused by Rick Warren, who, simply by asking each candidate when life begins, knocked about 8 points off Obama's support.

Part of what influences a culture, especially in terms of whether a certain crime is tolerated, is whether public figures support it or denounce it. In short, simply by running as pro-life candidates, politicians restore respect for life.

I'm leaving out the easy part of my argument: If you think pro-life politicians don't get anything done, look at George W. Bush's record on life, and his public witness in words and deeds. That's why Pope Benedict has always had such immense respect for him. Both men know that life is the ultimate issue that grounds all the others, because it is about justice and charity.

13 posted on 10/15/2008 5:01:25 PM PDT by SamuraiScot
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To: tcg
Pinged from Terri Dailies


14 posted on 10/15/2008 5:08:30 PM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: SamuraiScot

Very well said.


15 posted on 10/15/2008 5:17:59 PM PDT by 1035rep
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To: SamuraiScot

I tend to think politicians follow culture in the long run, and events in the short run, rather than propelling either to any great extent. To their everlasting credit, Americans don’t let politicians make up their mind for them on questions of importance.

Given that I don’t set much store on the pro-life (or, for that matter, pro-choice) politician’s bully pulpit.

When we assess concrete pro-life contribution of politicians, it’s hard to see anything beyond the symbolic. Springing post-Roe laws? Symbolic. Partial birth abortion bans? Symbolic — has even one child been brought to term who would have been aborted otherwise due to this law? Public funds bans? As a restraint on abortion, symbolic — poor women are by far the most prolific consumers of abortion, and get them deeply (if privately) subsidized. Women so poor and disorganized as not to get an abortion due to lack of funds probably would have failed to fill out the paperwork to qualify for public funds anyway.

In terms of President Bush — I suppose we’ll see about Alito and Roberts. But note, even with Republican majorities in the Senate, neither was able to say anything about Roe v. Wade. Do you think an Obama nominee (perish the thought) will have to be so coy? They’ll advertise it on their lapels that they will vote to affirm Roe.


16 posted on 10/15/2008 7:01:33 PM PDT by only1percent
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To: SamuraiScot
They remember the damage to Obama caused by Rick Warren

That needs to be run again a few times before the election.

17 posted on 10/15/2008 11:18:27 PM PDT by Bellflower (A Brand New Day Is Coming!)
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To: only1percent

You are wrong to state that “Pro-life politicians have achieved nothing in 35 years.”

Many states have parental notification laws, informed consent laws, waiting periods, etc. all deterrents to abortion.


18 posted on 10/16/2008 8:49:54 AM PDT by victim soul
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To: Bellflower

You are so right. Play Saddleback debate again.

Any candidate who wants to President and says when life begins is above his paygrade should never be put into office and become our Commander in Chief.

If helpless children in the womb are expendable to this man, what about our soldiers?

Any person who doesn’t respect the right to life for all of us has no business President of this great country.


19 posted on 10/16/2008 8:53:05 AM PDT by victim soul
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To: tcg

These pro lifers that support the Omessiah are in love with him. they adore him, and no common sense will dissuade them. it is like a schizophrenic believing there are insects crawling all over their body. you, a normal sane person, will never convince them that it aint so. maybe they will wake up after the election.


20 posted on 10/16/2008 9:36:43 AM PDT by capn dino
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