[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

"If the Catholic Church were to kick out every pro-choice person or politician, the pews would be empty," said Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for Free Choice, a Washington-based advocacy group.

Fat, dumb and stupid is no way to go through life, Frank.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

But many were upset with the photos of aborted fetuses that were on display. "The images are kind of hard to explain to the kids," said Sean Furlong...

I suppose that 150 years ago the "pro-choice" crowd for slavery would have been equally upset about paintings of black children in chains. Today's images may not be pretty but they are the clearest depiction of what the abortion issue is all about. One of the best indicators that someone is on the wrong side of an issue is for them to be afraid for the truth to come out.

[Salvation]

"But one of the issues debated in the church hierarchy is, why single out officeholders when there are so many pro-choice Catholics out there?"

To set an example ------------------- get it? (I'm talking to the Catholics in name only and the press, not you, Notwithstanding!)

[Salvation]

For the sleuths back there.

I have never seen it posted, but my question is "Has Granholm, herself, ever had an abortion? If she has, she is excommunicated and no longer a Catholic.

Inquiring minds want to know.

[ElkGroveDan]

It's a challenge for a church that has a significant number of parishioners who believe abortion should remain legal in at least some circumstances.

Classic media obfuscation here. Sure some Catholics believe some abortions are necessary. That's a diferent discussion than the views Jennifer holds. She's part of the "all abortions in all circumstances, all the time, crowd." Let's make that perfectly clear. That is what is so offensives to Catholics in her state and decent people everywhere.

[DouglasKC]

Bump for a fact that's getting NO airplay in Michigan...Granholm is the darling of the media.

[ElkGroveDan]

While she has said she is personally opposed to abortion, she also doesn't believe in imposing those views on others.

Here we go again. I am so sick of that line.

Wouldn't it be great if some reporter were to ask her if she is personally opposed to pedophilia? Is she personally opposed to incest? Is she personally opposed to bestiality? Why then is she willing to impose SOME of her views on others? Could it be that she really isn't terribly opposed to abortion after all?

[Unam Sanctam]

"But interfering with the operations of the church shows very poor judgment on their part,"

And how, pray tell, is peacefull picketing well away from the church edifice in accordance with one's First Amendment rights "interfering with the operations of the church"?

[Siobhan]

Cardinal Maida has been as the guard blessing the thieves to steal whatever they could find in the warehouse.

The Cardinal is the central problem, and secondarily his staff is abominable. Third, Father "Doc" is as lousy a priest as Baby Doc was a ruler of Haiti.

Jennifer Granholm isn't a Roman Catholic, but the fault lies with her priest and her bishops and Cardinal -- because they aren't really Roman Catholic either.

But don't tell anyone. "Be vewy, vewy quiwet."

[redhead]

"In 1983, Agnes Mansour was forced by the church to choose between leaving the Sisters of Mercy or keeping her job as the director of the Michigan Department of Social Services, which at the time administered Medicaid-funded abortions. She left her vocation, but remained a practicing Catholic."

No, Ms. Mansour is NOT a "practicing Catholic." PRACTICING Catholics adhere to the Church's teachings on faith and morals. If Mansour is still pro-abortion, she is NOT a practicing Catholic (although many like her may practice and practice, as long as they hold their pro-abortion stand, they will never get it RIGHT).

[Willie Green]

"The church has never said anything regarding Granholm, and they should condemn her position," added Robert Klucik, 35, of Ann Arbor.

AMEN!

This article fails to note that former Pennsylvania GOP-RINO Governor Tom Ridge (now Dubya's Homeland Security czar) was prohibited by the Church from spewing his "pro-choice" poison on Church property. Not strong enough, IMHO, but stronger than the acquiescent silence bestowed upon Granholm.

[Antoninus]

In three different national polls taken since 1999, 30 percent to 50 percent of Catholics questioned about abortion said they believe abortion should remain legal in at least some circumstances. A Gallup poll done for CNN and USA Today in 1999 showed 50 percent of Catholics considered themselves abortion rights advocates while 46 percent said they opposed abortion.

These poll numbers smell phony to me. I'll bet anything that they polled people who simply self-identified as Catholics, and not those who actually attend Mass every Sunday. If they only polled church-goers, the numbers would be dramatically different, IMO.

[Antoninus]

"If the Catholic Church were to kick out every pro-choice person or politician, the pews would be empty," said Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for Free Choice, a Washington-based advocacy group.

Why must the press ALWAYS seek out this non-Catholic dissenter when dealing with this issue? Perhaps we should give Ms. Gray an earful about it:

Contact KATHLEEN GRAY at 248-586-2603 or gray@freepress.com. Staff writer David Crumm contriuted to this report.

[Antoninus]

"The images are kind of hard to explain to the kids," said Sean Furlong, 36, of Plymouth as he was leaving Sunday services with his wife and three children.

Not really. They are actually an excellent lesson in how positively evil some people in the world can be. Children, innocents that they are, are almost always appalled by the idea of abortion because they haven't yet learned how to rationalize away wickedness.

[Lorianne]

Geez, what difference does it make if she is Catholic or not. She's pro-Choice. If abortion is an issue with a voter, he/she should vote their conscience.

Let's have a little seperation of Church and State.

[kcvl]

Statement of Frances Kissling, President, Catholics for a Free Choice,
in response to comments of Texas Gov. George W. Bush


For immediate release Contact: Jon O'Brien
May 26, 2000 Work phone: +1 (202) 986-6093


Washington, DC--In the latest stop on his Bob Jones University redemption tour, Texas Gov. George W. Bush and his campaign once again played the Catholic card. In an attempt to please the Catholic bishops, the governor took a swipe at The "See Change" Campaign. He mischaracterized it as an effort to silence the voice of the Catholic church in the UN by calling for a revocation of its Permanent Observer status. Nothing could be further from the truth. What troubles the more than 525 organizations worldwide who endorsed The "See Change" Campaign is not the Vatican's Permanent Observer status, but the Roman Catholic church's status as a state. Catholics for a Free Choice, which is the initiator of the campaign, has clearly stated that it has no objection to the Vatican continuing to hold Permanent Observer status. The campaign's concern is that the Roman Catholic church, under the title of the Holy See, is the only religion to be recognized by the United Nations as a state. The campaign seeks a level playing field for all religious institutions within the UN.

Not only is the governor misinformed about The "See Change" Campaign, he is clearly ignorant of Catholic social teaching and views on a range of "prolife" issues. Opposition to legal abortion may make the nation's 300 plus Catholic bishops happy, but it will not win the support of the nation's 65 million Catholics, most of whom are prochoice. And, once the governor moves from abortion to other "life" issues, he is hopelessly out of sync with the views of both the bishops and American Catholics. The governor seems to forget that even in official Catholic circles, to be prolife means to be more than against abortion. Having presided over more than 130 executions, the governor is hardly an exemplar of the "culture of life."

Gov. Bush is in deep trouble if he thinks Catholic people will be fooled by pandering. There has been far too much pandering to the so-called Catholic vote. The governor is mistaken if he thinks he can use the Vatican's status at the UN as a way of distinguishing himself as a friend of Catholics. For most Americans, Catholic and otherwise, the question of the Vatican's status at the UN is not even on the radar screen. Catholics are concerned about access to health care, quality education for their children and the acceptance of government responsibility for those the less fortunate. To attract Catholic voters, the governor is going to have to deal with real issues.

-Statement Ends-

Catholics for a Free Choice is an independent, nonpartisan educational organization that shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to women's well-being, and respect and affirm the moral capacity of women and men to make sound decisions about their lives. Through discourse, education, and advocacy, CFFC works in the United States and internationally to infuse these values into public policy, community life, feminist analysis, and Catholic social thinking and teaching. Catholics for a Free Choice does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

[kcvl]

FRANCES KISSLING, PRESIDENT, CATHOLICS FOR A FREE CHOICE, STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT BUSH’S DECISION TO DENY UN FAMILY PLANNING FUNDS
For Immediate Release: July 22, 2002

For More Information: Jon O'Brien, Catholics for a Free Choice, 202-986-6093


Sponsor Organization: Catholics for a Free Choice

President Bush's decision to permanently deny US funds for the UNFPA is a tragic denial of life-saving family planning services for the world's poor.

---

In pandering to the religious right and the Vatican, the president has ignored well-known facts about UNFPA and its work in preventing abortions and ensuring that poor families are better able to care for the children they already have through access to safe and effective
methods of contraception. UNFPA's work in China has been evaluated by the State Department, by a UNFPA committee of advisors and by the UK parliament.

All have found that UNFPA is a force for voluntarism in China, not part of any coercive measures.

Time and again Catholic people have expressed their support for international family planning assistance, respecting the rights and
responsibilities of couples to decide when they will have children. Too bad the president has not listened to these people of faith.”

###

Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to women’s well-being, and respect and affirm the moral capacity of women and men to make sound decisions about their lives. Through discourse, education and advocacy, CFFC works in the United States and internationally to infuse these values into public policy, community life, feminist analysis, and Catholic social thinking and teaching.

[MissAmericanPie]

To take her postition is a cop out. It was the Supreme Court that forced abortion on the individual states. The question should be put to the voters in each state to decide. Neither Congress nor the Supreme Court has any business in social engineering of any kind. Is there any way for states to over ride the Supreme Court, why should they be allowed to have the last say in matters of such importance to society?

[Coleus]

Did she win?