* The Catholic Church should be severely condemned for over-stepping its bounds on the issue of abortion restrictions in healthcare legislation

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The Catholic Church should be severely condemned

for over-stepping its bounds

on the issue of abortion restrictions

in healthcare legislation

******

Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Associated Press (11/11/09) …

• Catholic bishops have emerged as a formidable force in the health care overhaul fight, using their clout with
  

  Cardinal Theodore McCarrick ... on the phone with Nancy Pelosi

  millions of Catholics and working behind the scenes in Congress to get strong abortion restrictions into the House bill.

• “The Catholic Church used their power — their clout, if you will — to influence this issue. They had to. It’s a basic teaching of the religion,” said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., a leading abortion foe and architect of the health measure’s restrictions.
• The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the church’s Washington-based advocacy organization, which is staffed by more than 350 lay people, derives its power in large part from the sheer number of Catholics in this country — 68 million — but also from the special moral and religious standing of its members. Many of them are in regular contact with lawmakers, weighing in on issues from immigration policy to benefits for low-income people.
• The group distributed fliers to every parish in the nation asking people to pray for abortion restrictions and to call their congressmen and senators asking them to “fix these bills with pro-life amendments.”
• And in recent days, the conference staff got elbow-deep in the legislative machinations on the health measure, even having bishops intervene with Republicans — who were loath to help Democrats pass their bill — to make sure they supported the abortion provisions.
• Another factor that undoubtedly helped: Democrats are keenly aware of the power of Catholic voters, more than 50 percent of whom embraced Obama in the 2008 election.
• And Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., a prominent abortion rights supporter who has gathered the signatures of more than 40 representatives who refuse to back a health bill that contains the restrictions, said the bishops had been allowed to overstep their bounds.
• “No one group should get to dictate the outcome of legislation in Congress,” DeGette said. “Every group should be listened to, but I don’t think one group should be given veto authority over what we do.”

read the entire article at … http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_overhaul_catholic_lobby

LMW COMMENTS …

Catholic bishops are certainly entitled to tell Catholics what the Church says about abortion or any other issue. But it is offensive to all non-Catholics to be told by leaders of another religion what we should do or support. We have been blessed in this country by a separation of Church and state. The importance of this can be seen in Muslim countries where religious rule prevails, and women are treated like chattel. The Catholic Church should be severely condemned for over-stepping its bounds on this issue.

* Sanford’s follies may have a silver lining … perhaps even Republican conservatives will begin to see that issues like these are personal matters, not the business of American government; except for dereliction of duty, which is very much the business of the citizens of South Carolina

Jim Davenport writes for AP (6-25-09) …

• After going AWOL for seven days, Gov. Mark Sanford admitted Wednesday that he had secretly flown to
  

  Governor Sanford - SC

  Argentina to visit a woman with whom he was having an affair.

• Sanford, who in recent months had been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2012, said he would resign as head of the Republican Governors Association.
• By leaving the country without formally transferring power, critics said he neglected his gubernatorial authority and put the state at risk. It wasn’t clear how his staff could reach him in an emergency.
• State Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, called for Sanford’s resignation. “There is no reason for him to remain as governor.”

read the entire article at … http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090625/ap_on_re_us/us_sc_governor_where_69

LMW COMMENT …

There seem to be no depths to which Republican leaders will not sink in their apparent efforts to sink their party into oblivion. I believe in the two party system, and I am distressed with the Republican failure to make any real efforts to build one.

There is also no end to the hypocrisy of the Republican party building its electoral success on specious “family values” issues which have little to do with the true purpose of government in America’s democratic system.

Although perhaps here lies the silver lining.

All humans have their frailties, Governor Sanford certainly not accepted. The lesson here is not to dwell on the governor’s personal tragedies, but to recognize that these issues are personal, to be dealt with between the parties involved in whatever way they find comfort.

The main issue I have with the governor is that he was atrociously derelict in the performance of his duties for the people of South Carolina. I think he should resign immediately.

It is not the business of government to impose moral views on its citizens. This applies to America as well as to Iran and all other countries of the world. Religion has its place, but that place is distinct from government. When we forget or blur those differences, we all suffer.