The nation's Roman Catholic bishops vowed Tuesday to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights, saying the church and religious freedom could be under attack in the new presidential administration.In an impassioned discussion on Catholics in public life, several bishops said they would accept no compromise on abortion policy. Many condemned Catholics who had argued it was morally acceptable to back President-elect Obama because he pledged to reduce abortion rates.
[snip]
Dr. Patrick Whelan, a pediatrician and president of Catholic Democrats, said angry statements from church leaders were counterproductive and would only alienate Catholics.
"We're calling on the bishops to move away from the more vicious language," Whelan said. He said the church needs to act "in a more creative, constructive way," to end abortion.
Catholics United was among the groups that argued in direct mail and TV ads during the campaign that taking the "pro-life" position means more than opposing abortion rights.
Chris Korzen, the group's executive director, said, "we honestly want to move past the deadlock" on abortion. He said church leaders were making that task harder.
"What are the bishops going to do now?" Korzen said. "`They have burned a lot of bridges with the Democrats and the new administration."
That's the point, though. The point was to burn bridges, because without being able to point to the smoke rising from the wreckage, how are you going to prove to your followers that you're doing anything at all? Besides fetishizing infants, demonizing women, and pretending you have any moral ground to stand on after an abuse of power scandal that destroyed any credibility you ever might have had on the issue of human sexuality. Get back to me when you're done dealing with the economic terrorism killing more children in this country than any nightmare of an abortion clinic ever could, and then we'll talk about how pregnant, frightened 14-year-olds are the real problem these days.
Schmucks.
A.
One of the first blog-based books, the anthology Special Plans examines Feith's role in misleading America into war. Buy from 
Thanks for posting this A. I particularly liked the part of the article I read in the Boston globe that they are proposing an entirely new blessing "for the fetus in the womb"--what? do they think that pro-choice means that the babies in the wombs of eager mothers are at risk of spontaneous abortion? I mean, they are, but g-d is usually the author of most of those first trimester abortions so who are they placating? And speaking as the mother of two I can well imagine (some) women eagerly going to get their tummies blessed and later discovering that for a wide variety of reasons they now need an abortion. Abortions of women who want the babies but who discover later than the beginning of the pregnancy that they are physically at risk, or the fetus is deformed, or etc... are a large proportion of therapeutic abortions. Its not all those dirty sluts who use abortion as birth control. But perhaps nobody told the boys in dresses?
aimai
Posted by: aimai | November 12, 2008 at 12:37
"Bring back the lions" should be our motto when facing down these mooks.
Posted by: GentillyGirl | November 12, 2008 at 13:07
And this kind of shit is why I am no longer a Catholic, though I was born and raised one and even had my daughter baptized and brought up Catholic (she's no longer Catholic either).
Finally I just got tired of saying, "Yes, but" to the Church and being called names for thinking for myself.
Posted by: Nora | November 12, 2008 at 13:41
Dr. Whelan wants them to move away from "the more vicious language". And leave in the less vicious language? Can't wait to see the text of that discussion.
Posted by: Sue | November 12, 2008 at 13:53
If you want to be a Catholic, fine. If you want to be a pro-forced-birth Catholic, also fine. If you want the entire rest of the world to subscribe to your screwy ideology, whether they're Catholics or not, definitely not fine.
What the fuck business is it of Catholic religious leaders to be trying to tell non-Catholics what they can and cannot do with themselves, anyway? Keep it in your own damn church, buddy -- law is for society and religion is for church, and may the twain ne'er meet.
Posted by: Interrobang | November 12, 2008 at 14:21
Interrobang. Be sure to go to confession for using those dirty words. :-)
aimai. But perhaps nobody told the boys in dresses.
What are you talking about? "A priest puts on a long fabric garment that doesn't have pants. He often wears an elegantly embroidered scarf around his neck. Then he invites people to share a meal of bread and wine. After the meal he cleans up and goes in the back. How is this 'boys in dresses'? OHHHH! Now I get it. Never mind.
What was the old saying about the Pope and sex? (Told in an Italian dialect)
"He who no playa the game no maka the rules."
Posted by: spocko | November 12, 2008 at 16:42
And this is why the IRS really needs to reconsider all those non-profit designations given away to churches - and especially those Catholic diocese that become politically involved in this way.
SP
Posted by: Serving Patriot | November 12, 2008 at 18:33
close tag...
Posted by: Serving Patriot | November 12, 2008 at 18:34
just don't let them breed.
Posted by: pansypoo | November 12, 2008 at 20:17
As a former Catholic, take away their TAX EXEMPTIONS -- all of them!!! And the tax exemptions for their schools, too....
Posted by: drunken hausfrau | November 13, 2008 at 04:14