Dartblog

Catholic priests have taken numerous controversial stands throughout history, but the current battle revolving around abortion support and communion seems to be particularly difficult to understand. I often share meals with my Catholic friends at Dartmouth and we’ve routinely quarreled over the choice of certain priests to refuse communion to Obama supporters. Obama’s actions before and after winning election have demonstrated that he is a virulently pro-choice candidate, almost militant in his pro-abortion stances. The most recent evidence of this is Obama’s selection of the executive director of EMILY’s List, Ellen Moran, to be his White House communications director. EMILY’s List, of course, is a political action committee founded to help elect pro-choice women to government positions. Clearly having pro-choice majorities is intended to combat legislation like a partial birth abortion ban or parental notification.

Giving such an important position to a leader of the pro-abortion movement signals his continued commitment to the pro-abortion policies he pursued in the Illinois State Senate. For those who argue that the abortion issue is not the most important issue, or that his pro-choice position is overshadowed by his other policies, I argue that nothing is more important than life. Certainly for Catholics, life is a central issue. Politics and religion often clash for a reason, but as Democrats re-embrace their pro-choice roots, they risk alienating a traditionally important Catholic voting component.