A Different Kind of Liberal

The New York Times ^ | August 30, 2009 | Ross Douthat

[heartwood]

Only 13 days separated the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics, from the death of her brother Ted last week. But amid the wall-to-wall coverage and the stream of retrospectives for the senior senator from Massachusetts, it was easy to forget that he wasn’t the only famous Kennedy sibling to enter eternity this month.

...

Liberalism’s most important legislator probably merited a more extended send-off than his sister. But there’s a sense in which his life’s work and Eunice’s deserve to be remembered together — for what their legacies had in common, and for what ultimately separated them.

What the siblings shared — in addition to the grace, rare among Kennedys, of a ripe old age and a peaceful death — was a passionate liberalism and an abiding Roman Catholic faith. These two commitments were intertwined: Ted Kennedy’s tireless efforts on issues like health care, education and immigration were explicitly rooted in Catholic social teaching, and so was his sister’s lifelong labor on behalf of the physically and mentally impaired.

What separated them was abortion.

Along with her husband, Sargent Shriver, Eunice belonged to America’s dwindling population of outspoken pro-life liberals. Like her church, she saw a continuity, rather than a contradiction, between championing the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed and protecting unborn human life.

[heartwood]

I can't imagine that Ted Kennedy was ever truly opposed to abortion - his pro-life letter had to have been hypocrisy. An inveterate fornicator who disposed of one incovenient woman - what would he care about unborn babies?

But Eunice now - may her memory be blessed.

[RobbyS]

In 1995 my daughter participated in the Special Olympics held in New Haven Connecticut. While there I was walking with my other daughter from the Yale Bowl to where my special needs daughter was Bowling. There we happened to pass a small group of people surrounding Mrs. Shriver. No fanfare, no entourage, she was just standing there by some bleachers, talking to ordinary folk as though they were...people. Rest in Peace, Mrs Shriver, and health and clarity to her husband.

[MrB]

Abortion is supported by “liberal” men because it puts the ENTIRE burden for the consequences of fornication on the woman - it’s her “choice”, ya know.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Do we really know there were 13 days between the deaths? We know there were 13 days between the announcements of the deaths, but we saw Teddy arriving at the Schriver home the day of Eunice’s funeral yet he did not attend the funeral nor did anyone see him leave the house. He may well have died and been kept on ice until the lavish funeral arrangements could be made. That might be why Obama did not go to see him in what most people think are Kennedy’s last days...because Kennedy was already DEAD.