Proud to be RC (Frances Kissling retires)

Off the Record ^ | February 27, 2007 | Diogenes

[NYer]

"I’m a member of the greatest religion in the world," says the woman who calls herself a Catholic.

That's promising, right?

But we're talking about abortion cheerleader Frances Kissling, as profiled by the New York Times, so you know things are going to be complicated.

When the outgoing head of "Catholics" for a Free Choice talks to the Times about this "greatest religion," the pride doesn't come through quite so clearly:

It abuses nuns, anyone who thinks, homosexuals, women who have abortions. It sexually abuses children. It treats people badly, and something has to be done to change its abusive nature.

Halfway through that quote you might be wondering what makes Catholicism so great, since the faith is such an oppressive force. But the final phrase is a tipoff. Something must be done, and needless to say it's Kissling herself who must do it-- at a substantial salary, underwritten by the Playboy and Ford foundations.

You see, when you use the Catholic Church as your punching bag, you discover that many people will pay to watch your workouts. Yessir, it's the greatest religion in the world.

But what do you do for an encore, once you've wrapped up your career in Catholic-bashing?

Ms. Kissling hopes to write a book about the value of the fetus..

Sure she does. And do you suppose those friendly foundations will be ready to subsidize that effort?

[NYer]

Frances Kissling is president of Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), an independent organization of  progressive Catholics based in Washington, DC, with sister organizations throughout Latin America and an international network that includes partners in Europe and Africa. Under Ms. Kissling’s leadership, CFFC has become a leading force for change in the Catholic church and has a significant impact on public discourse regarding gender equality, sexuality, reproduction and the appropriate role of religion in public policy.

Since 1970, Frances Kissling has been where news is made. From her work with reproductive health and abortion clinics in the 1970s to her leadership in the feminist religious and international reproductive health movements, Ms. Kissling has been at the forefront of efforts to improve women’s lives.

With her unique expertise and background, Ms. Kissling has proved to be a leading voice on issues of church and state and she is a sought-after analyst and commentator worldwide on a range of subjects, including reproductive health and ethics, religious fundamentalism and Catholic church reform. A versatile and practiced communicator who is known both for her intellectual acumen and her quick-witted humor, Ms. Kissling is as capable and comfortable presenting thoughtful, well-researched analyses as she is delivering stimulating repartee. 

Called the "philosopher of the prochoice movement" [1], "an exceedingly intelligent and articulate Catholic who has been unfairly demonized by some who disagree with her views" [2] and "a beloved figure in the women's movement whose 30 years as a prochoice advocate and Catholic leader lends her both moral and ideological credibility" [3], Ms. Kissling has given formal presentations in Britain's House of Lords, debated the US bishops' spokesperson on abortion and brought thousands to their feet with an address at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. A prolific writer, Ms. Kissling has contributed to 7 books and authored more than 60 published articles and an equal number of op-eds.

Ms. Kissling initiated two successful international public awareness campaigns: Condoms4Life, which calls public attention to and challenges the Vatican's ban on condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, and the SeeChange campaign, a global movement challenging the special status of the Holy See at the United Nations and advocating for the Roman Catholic church to participate in the UN in the same way that the world's other religions do—as a non-governmental organization. She is the author of How to Talk About Abortion, an internationally acclaimed manual detailing how to answer the toughest questions faced by proponents of abortion, leading to the development of a CFFC training program for advocates of choice that has been taught in the US, Europe, Africa and Latin America.

Ms. Kissling has served on the boards of the Alan Guttmacher Institute, SIECUS, International Women’s Health Coalition, Ibis Reproductive Health and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She is one of the three founders of the Global Fund for Women, and was the first executive director and a co-founder of the National Abortion Federation.

As president of Catholics for a Free Choice, Ms. Kissling works with a skillful and accomplished staff of researchers, writers and analysts in challenging Catholic church leaders on some of today's most debated cultural and moral issues in some of the most significant forums, including this decade's United Nations conferences on women, the environment, and population and development.  Ms. Kissling has also been the focus of news reports, demonstrating (and being arrested) at the Vatican embassy in Washington, DC, providing a dissident's commentary during bishops' conferences and papal visits, developing the skills of activists in Eastern Europe and helping Catholic feminists throughout Latin America. 

In late 2004, Ms. Kissling published a provocative and timely essay titled "Is There Life After Roe? How to Think About the Fetus" in CFFC's flagship publication, Conscience—The NewsJournal of Catholic Opinion. The essay illustrates the unique role Ms. Kissling and CFFC have played within the reproductive health movement, a role which stresses a passionate commitment to framing the right to choose abortion as a moral issue deserving our moral scrutiny, including a commitment to reduce the need for abortion.

[GSlob]

"It abuses... anyone who thinks...".
As thinking could be a pretty dangerous activity, anyone who thinks [without being qualified to do so, and without having a thinking permit] is to be deservedly abused and prevented from thinking. Not so much for their good, as for our own.

[marshmallow]

Ms Kissling's hands are dripping with innocent blood.

[Nihil Obstat]

we are supposed to pray for our enemies, but I don't feel like it. Instead I pray

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in our battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host — by the Power of God — cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

I am no saint, but: "Fire, Brimestone, Fire, Brimestone . . ."

[Salvation]

Catechism of the Catholic Church and what it says about those who support abortion

What does this say about Frances Kissling?

[Unam Sanctam]

Proud to be RC

...so long as "I" get to define what the Catholic faith means.

[ArrogantBustard]

Excommunicated, laetae sententiae.

[Rutles4Ever]

Judas personified. Pray for her soul and everyone of us who can one day be led astray.

[Revenge of Sith]

"On one wall of her office was a cherub, on another a Che Guevara calendar."

LOL!!!

[Antoninus]

Evil personified.

I pray that, through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier, her soul may be redeemed, stained as it is with the blood of innocents.

[TAdams8591]

"With her unique expertise and background, Ms. Kissling has proved to be a leading voice on issues of church and state"

The Catholic Church " needs to" PUBLICLY excommunicate this woman.

[NYer]

The Catholic Church " needs to" PUBLICLY excommunicate this woman.

There is a controversy as to whether or not members of CFFC have, in effect, excommunicated themselves through membership. The rights of Catholics to receive the Eucharist were clarified with 2004's Redemptionis Sacramentum.[31] This repeated the doctrine that Roman Catholics must be in a state of grace to receive communion without committing sacrilege. The canonical penalty for procuring an abortion or assisting someone to get one is automatic excommunication with no need for an official declaration.[32]

[TAdams8591]

"The canonical penalty for procuring an abortion or assisting someone to get one is automatic excommunication with no need for an official declaration.[32]"

Yes, I understand that. Unfortunately, many Catholics and non-catholics do not. And this allows her to speak out as if she is a member of the church when in fact she is not. Which is why the church should publicly excommunicate her and others like her.