Kennedy, Catholic Church in war of words over abortion
4:06 PM Fri, Oct 23, 2009 | Permalink
Email
 |
 |
Projo 7 to 7 News BlogTaking the news pulse of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, by Providence Journal and projo.com staff, from 7 to 7, every business day |
|
Get the 7 to 7 on your mobile at www.projo.com. Twitter: projo | RSS | Email alerts
« Providence man arrested in Mass. drug roundup |
Main
| Update: N. Providence police seek 2 after chase, crash »
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy has attacked the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion-related aspects of legislation to overhaul the nation's medical system, calling the church's position a "red herring'' that fans "the flames of dissent and discord.'' Kennedy's comment, made in a videotaped interview with Cybercast News Service, drew a sharp retort from Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, who called the Rhode Island Democrat's position "irresponsible and ignorant of the facts.'' The exchange underlined the potential divisiveness of the disagreement in Congress over whether the overhaul of the health-care system would maintain the status quo on abortion, which is to forbid the use of federal funds for the procedure, except in sharply limited cases. Supporters of the legislation -- five versions of which are pending in the Senate and House -- maintain that it essentially would bind the new system to the provisions of the longstanding ban on federal financing of abortions, known as the Hyde Amendment. But many foes of abortion, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, argue that the health-care overhaul would effectively permit the indirect subsidization of abortion with taxpayer money. In the CNS interview, Kennedy was asked about the warning from the bishops that they would oppose the health-care overhaul if it does not specifically preclude federal financing of abortion. In the CNS interview, Kennedy was asked about the warning from the bishops that they would oppose the health-care overhaul if it does not specifically preclude federal financing of abortion. "If the church is pro-life,'' he replied in part, "then they ought to be for health-care reform, because it's going to provide health care that are going to keep people alive.'' Tobin replied in his statement that the bishops "are indeed in favor of comprehensive health care reform and have been for many years.'' But he also said they oppose health care legislation that "requires taxpayers to pay for abortion.'' Michael Chapman, managing editor of the CNS organization's bureau in Alexandria, Va., said in a telephone interview Friday that his reporter, Nicholas Ballasy, interviewed Kennedy on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, where the congressman appeared at an outdoor rally on education. Chapman described the news service this way: "`Editorially, we are conservative, but as far as reporting the news, we try to play it down the middle,'' reporting both sides of a given story. CNS has posted video of the interview with Kennedy. Here is a transcript of the exchange between reporter Ballasy and Kennedy: Ballasy: "There's a letter written by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to Congress saying that they believe all of the health care proposals right now - the one in the House and the ones in the Senate -- they all fund abortion as it stands and unless there's an amendment or a change to those bills that specifically prohibits it, they're not going to support it. Do you agree with them or is there something -- " Here is the text of Tobin's printed statement, issued Friday by the diocesan communications office: "Congressman Patrick Kennedy's statement about the Catholic Church's position on "As I wrote to Congressman Kennedy and other members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation recently, the Bishops of the United States are indeed in favor of comprehensive health care reform and have been for many years. But we are "Congressman Kennedy continues to be a disappointment to the Catholic Church and to
CommentsLeave a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish. |
Tags 
New comments
New photos
New posts
Projo blogs
Archives
Opposing healthcare for its living members for any reason is evil on the part of the Church. Telling an uninsured family to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the unborn is simply crazy. Save your flock, bishop!
Report Abuse
Note to the IRS, remove the tax exemption for this political organization calling itself a church.
Report Abuse
Congressman Kennedy is clearly a very troubled soul.
He should return to private life where he can deal with his personal problems. How can he take care of the needs of his constituents when he can't even take care of himself ?
Report Abuse
If Patrick Kennedy believes that abortion is a "red herring" for the Catholic Church he is far less informed on Catholic doctrine than any of us might have feared. He should simply be excommunicated for his continual oppositiion to the most heartfelt and profound teachings of the Catholic Church.
Report Abuse
Kudos to Bishop Tobin for calling out Patrick as ignorant of the facts, irresponsible, and a disappointment.
Kennedy is pretending to be concerned about the supposedly 50 million without healthcare. What about the 50+ million that were denied life because of abortion zealots like him and his father? Patrick probably hasn't even read the bill and is incapable of thinking for himself. He is just doing what he is told by Pelosi and the rest of the Democrat leaders. What is truly embarassing is the fact the people in Rhode Island are foolish enough to re-elect this clown every election. It doesn't say much for the collective intelligence of this state.
Report Abuse
There is one imprecision in the new story. The bill does not only authorize "indirect" funding of abortion. Rather, the bill creates a health plan that would be run directly by the federal government -- the "public plan" -- and it explicitly authorizes that government program to pay for all elective abortions. Because this would be a program within the federal Department of Health and Human Services, it can only spend federal funds, as the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has confirmed. Therefore, under the House Democratic leadership bill, there would be DIRECT federal funding of elective abortions, using federal government funds. More documentation on the National Right to Life website at: http://www.nrlc.org
Douglas Johnson
Legislative Director
National Right to Life Committee
Washington, D.C.
Report Abuse
The church has issues with this health care debacle just like everyone else. Will it EVER be good enough for everyone? Don't be the farm on it. And, its not fair to ask Patrick Kennedy a question, any question, its just not a fair fight.
Report Abuse
Abortion is murder, pure and simple. You can't have the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness if you are denied the most basic right of all--the right to life! The church is the voice of Christ--it cannot and will not change because the world has become so immoral that it calls good evil and evil good. It must always be faithful to God, our Creator. No one has the right to take an innocent life!
Report Abuse
I 100% agree with Congressman Kennedy.
Report Abuse
When you cannot hear the screams of the murdered ones...one tends to act as if they are not screaming. It is called lack of morals and dedication to perepetual ignorance.
Do you think Patrick can think or just gurgle?
Report Abuse
The bishop has a very big mouth. He should shut it. Churches should not be involved in politics. Let's remember that the concept of separation of church and state was created by Roger Williams, the founder of RI. It is beyond me why the church interferes in matters that are non of its business. Another example is marriage equality.
Report Abuse
Excommunicate Kennedy. He does not deserve to be a Catholic.
Report Abuse
It's been said "Churches should not be involved in politics."
The ignorance of this position is so apparent that it must be informed more by a hatred of the Church than by rational, informed thought.
Setting aside the obvious that all peoples and institutions (including religions) have a right to free speech in the public forum, and the right to petition our elected officials, there is another reality often ignored.
The Church founded the institutions that help the poor and sick. The Romans, the Greeks, the Persians, and the pre-European tribes that invaded the Roman Empire did NOT build hospitals, tend to lepers, feed the poor, assist the elderly. No, it was the CHURCH, following the Gospel that changed the world.
If politics must exist in its pure form unaltered by Christianity, then you would have an un-baptized society that has no heart and no love of neighbor.
Disagree? Read the history.
Report Abuse
The church, and I, have every right to speak out against the destruction of innocent preborn children and other immoral acts. Christianity is NOT the enemy of the state. What is prohibited is the establishment of a particular religion in the country, but that's already happening--the "religion" of atheism and secular humanism. The way we're going, we will be fully communist, and the practice of true religion will be banned in our country.
Report Abuse
Go Patrick. Call them on their inhumanity and inflexibility. They deserve it.
Report Abuse
Go Congressman Kennedy! He has taken a strong, controversial, and CORRECT stance on this issue -- despite the ridiculous brouhaha now surrounding him. A courageous, well-intentioned leader not afraid to fight for what is right. Yay!!!
Report Abuse
Church is for weak minded people who need guidance on Sundays
Report Abuse
The good Bishop should be more concerned with the thousands of young boys who have been abused by his priests over the years.
Let him settle that little rotten episode and then get involved in the way I should live..
what hypocrisy, from both of these guys
Report Abuse
2 words for the congressman from RI-Rehab and Retire
Report Abuse
I was raised Catholic, I went all through Catholic Schools and I am, for all intents and purposes, a "Lousy Catholic" that is probably today, 99% against everything and anything pertaining to the Catholic Church!
However, on the remaining 1% I am 110% behind the Church on this issue....and I would do anything and everything, in my power, to get rid of "Patches"!
I can only now hope that, with the high percentage of Citizens in this State being Catholic, and overall against abortion for the sake of abortion, that we have finally found a common ground to get rid of this flaming (you know what) once and for all!!!
Report Abuse
If God is love, the Church must advocate for life, its continuance, for the living.
Will they deny antibiotics to kill the pneumonia that follows swine flu to the poor who need it?
It is easier to care for the unborn than for the born. But the Church opposes, at its peril, the opportunity to save the lives of the poor and uninsured who place their faith in it.
Kennedy, no matter what else you may think of him, is right on this one.
Report Abuse
The problem with every opinion posted that says that the church is wrong is that they do not acknowledge the church's support of universal health care. It is the abortion element that is at issue. Take it out and the church would be supporting life before and after birth.
Why that is unclear to those posting in support of Congressman Kennedy shows their lack of understanding of the issue. It is clear that they would like to support abortion at all cost.
Report Abuse
Is it any wonder that so many Catholic churches have closed, and convents and rectories emptied out? The monolithic arrogance and hypocrisy of this institution becomes more and more offensive as time marches on without it.
Report Abuse