Posted on 07/06/2004 7:05:53 AM PDT by madprof98
DUBUQUE, Iowa -- John Kerry's pro-choice stance on abortion dogged him during his Fourth of July visit to this heavily Catholic city.
The Democratic presidential candidate on Sunday attended mass at the Church of the Resurrection in Dubuque, sat in the fourth pew, donated a crisp $20 bill to the church during collection, and received Communion.
But several churchgoers separately quizzed Kerry about his legislative support for abortion rights after Mass on Sunday when Kerry was signing autographs and posing for pictures with congregation members.
"It's hard," Kerry told parishioner Frank Ward, a father of five and an abortion opponent. "It's a difficult line to walk."
Kerry told another man in the lobby of the church that "I'm against partial birth abortion," even though he voted against banning the procedure six times in the Senate. Kerry said he would have voted for the ban if it included an exception to allow the procedure if it was necessary to protect the health of the mother.
"They did it for a political reason," Kerry said of Republicans who backed the measure, which passed last fall in the Senate 64-34 with support from several Democrats after years of debate. "They tried to drive home the politics of it."
In an interview with the Telegraph Herald newspaper published Sunday, Kerry said: "I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception. But I can't take my Catholic belief, article of faith, and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or an atheist ... We have separation of church and state in the United States of America."
Republicans quickly seized on Kerry's remarks as more evidence that he flip-flops on issues, telling different voters what they want to hear. President Bush's campaign pointed out that Kerry received a 100 percent ranking in 2002 from NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Campaign aides say they believe the interview marked the first time Kerry, the first major presidential candidate who is Catholic since John F. Kennedy, specifically said he believed life begins at conception.
However, he's consistently said his views on abortion are the same as the Roman Catholic Church, which believes life begins at conception.
"He's always said he doesn't believe in abortion, but these are his convictions that he can't enforce on others," said Stephanie Cutter, a Kerry spokeswoman. "He's pro-choice and believes that abortion should be safe, legal and rare."
Later Sunday at a parade in Cascade, several residents donned Bush-Cheney stickers and one woman held a sign which read, "Defend pro-life, public and private."
"I was initially surprised to hear that John Kerry says he hates coming to places like Dubuque," said Iowa state Sen. Julie Hosch, R-Cascade, in a statement released by the Bush campaign. "But it's not hard to figure out why the Senate's most liberal member -- who has voted at least six times against banning partial birth abortion -- would be happier in Nantucket and Georgetown."
As Kerry's motorcade left the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, one woman held a sign reading "No more dead babies."
He's already said he will only support pro-choice judges for the bench.
He should start worrying about being "dogged" by it in the afterlife.
I don't understand how a Catholic has a hard time with Mr Kerry-the choice about life is cut and dry. The reason this country is having such a difficulty is because Christians are not voting for Godly candidates-they become deceived by the lie of the democrats and party lines. I personally would be greatly offended if Mr Kerry were allowed to sit comfortably in my church as a candidate with the support of the leadership of that church-if he wants to come to church and hear the gospel that's different. Yet, some would say I cannot judge his intention in going to the church--to that I say look at the fruit of his actions and see how the word of God has impacted those actions.
Hey here's another good idea....he can be Jewish down in Florida and Catholic in Massachusetts.
Oohh...this is new to me. Do you have the source?
Do you have a link? I would love to email that to my wife's annoyingly pro-Teresa aunt.
He says he can't "legislate" his own "personal beliefs?"
If not, why on earth is he a politician?
Teresa Heinz Kerry never had an abortion (or has admitted to doing so publicly).
She ended up miscarrying prior.
So if he believes that life begins at conception, he must be pro-murder. What other conclusion is there? That's it's life, but not really life? Or that mothers get a special murder privilege?
We legislate morality all the time. That's why we outlaw murder, not to mention why we pass laws against child abuse, stealing, voter fraud, etc. What a weak-kneed loon the Dims have offered up.
Someone needs to ask him if he thinks abortion is murder, based on his recent "life-begins-at-conception" revelation. He'd need to have the anitseptic mind of 1930's intellectual Germany to believe an embryo is human life but to allow its destruction. That's not like any Catholic teaching I know if.
What the hell does that mean ?
Everyone who cares about the murder of the unborn knows the difference between an exception for the life of the mother and an exception for "the health of the mother."
Who was the Judas priest who communicated this ghoul?
Ah, of course! As a Christian, I believe that stealing is wrong because it's against the Ten Commandments. But I suppose we should repeal all laws against stealing, because a Christian might site the Bible in advocating a law against it, and I wouldn't want to offend an atheist.
John Kerry is a hypocrite. That reasoning is paper-thin, and is a useful way to appear to be faithful when he is not. In fact, he is an aggressive humanist, and wishes to remake society in his image.
Pray for W and Our Shining City
Excellent point!
Apparently she was planning on having an abortion because her baby might be a "monster" but miscarried before she got to the abortionist.
During his gubernatorial campaign in southern Louisiana, Huey Long was advised to play to the Roman Catholicism of many of the voters. Accordingly, he opened his first speech with the following words:
"When I was a boy, I would get up at six o'clock in the morning on Sunday, and I would hitch our old horse up to the buggy and I would take my Catholic grandparents to mass. I would bring them home, and at ten o'clock I would hitch the old horse up again, and I would take my Baptist grandparents to church."
"Why, Huey," the advisor later remarked, "you've been holding out on us. I didn't know you had any Catholic grandparents." "Don't be a damn fool," Long replied. "We didn't even have a horse!"
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