Recently in Politics Category

At the Weekly Standard, we read a good summary of what happened last night in the House Energy and Commerce Committee: 

Last night, the House Energy and Commerce Committee narrowly passed the Stupak-Pitts amendment to prohibit tax dollars from paying for abortions through the national health care bill, but when Chairman Henry Waxman brought the amendment up for reconsideration minutes after passage, Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee flipped his vote to 'no', defeating the Stupak-Pitts amendment 30 to 29. "I misunderstood it the first time," Gordon said of his flip-flop, according to The Hill. Gordon and Zack Space of Ohio were the only Blue Dogs on the committee to vote against the amendment to ban taxpayer-funding of abortion.

Instead of the Stupak-Pitts amendment, the committee passed an amendment that is being billed by some Democrats as a "common ground" measure on abortion. The amendment--sponsored by Lois Capps (D-Calif.), whose National Right to Life Committee vote-scorecard is 0 for 74--would allow the "public option" to provide coverage for elective abortions and would allow federally subsidized private plans to provide abortion coverage as well. How exactly could this be construed as "common ground"? Congress isn't requiring the public option to cover abortion--merely allowing it. And through some nifty bookkeeping, abortions will supposedly be paid for out of private funds rather than tax dollars.

Because money is fungible, it's difficult to say that tax dollars wouldn't fund abortions through this plan. Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee says, "Federal subsidies would also flow to private plans that cover elective abortions, under meaningless bookkeeping schemes -- and the amendment actually creates a federal mandate that there must be at least one private abortion plan in each premium rating areas of the health insurance exchange.

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(Update: Jack Smith at the Catholic Key blog has an excellent roundup of this week's past and coming events on this issue, including news about the presser which I mentioned below...which happened this morning.)

Tomorrow is the day for a nationwide effort to bring attention to the issue of abortion coverage in the proposed health care legislation.

Many groups are involved including Democrats for Life  and the American Association of Pro-Life  OB/GYNS - and the place to go for more information is "Stop the Abortion Mandate"

For his part, President Obama told Katie Couric:

President Obama on Tuesday said he would "rather not wade into" the issue of whether or not health care reform should include federal funding for abortions.

The president told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric that he is "not trying to micro-manage what benefits are covered."

"I'm pro-choice, but I think we also have the tradition in this town, historically, of not financing abortions as part of government-funded health care," he said, adding: "My main focus is making sure that people have options of high quality care at the lowest possible price."

Today, two reps from opposite sides of aisle, but not the issue, will hold a press conference:

On Wednesday, House Democrat Bart Stupak of Michigan and Republican Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania, the co-chairmen of the Pro-Life Caucus, will hold a press conference on the so-called "abortion mandate." Later in the day, Stupak will discuss the issue on CBSNews.com's Washington Unplugged.

Stupak was one of 19 Democrats who sent a letter to Pelosi in late June, calling the issue a deal-breaker.

"We cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan," the letter said. "Without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in a government subsidized health care plan under general health care."

In the Senate, Chris Dodd, who, remember, is Catholic, is leading the way against...well...take his word for it:

During the ongoing health care reform debate taking place in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) has worked to ensure that family planning and women's reproductive and preventive health services are covered by the health reform bill. He has also led the fight against key anti-choice amendments offered by Republican Senators.

The text is here.

Preparatory reading Populorum Progressio, Paul VI's 1967 encyclical, which is a primary reference point in this one.

I have to say right out that I am never sure what the ultimate point and effect of an encyclical like this is. It is a mix between analysis of very specific global situations ranging from the financial crisis to migration to unions to the welfare state and some quite wonderful, clearly Benedict-written passages about the nature of human life, especially human life in community.

I wonder if arguments about the former - about the accuracy of the analysis, the sufficiency of the evidence and data - will overwhelm the latter, which is really what we should be looking to a Pope for. Don't think I'm saying religious figures - Popes included - shook stick to the "purely religious" stuff - whatever that means. I am just not sure if contemporary Catholic pronouncements touching on current issues have quite mastered the task of effectively bringing the Gospel into the fray while at the same time acknowledging the limitations of received data and analysis. This encyclical actually does better than some in its attempt to look at every side of issues and the prevalence of original sin and the law of unintended consequences. But I wonder if the detail and specificity it contains is necessary.

There are lots of interesting observations about the current global situation here. Lots to chew on and bounce off of and get people thinking and talking.

In particular, what should not be ignored is Benedict's constant challenge to consistency. He never fails to point out ironies and contradictions in contemporary ways of thinking and action. Rights-obsessed cultures that ignore the rights of the unborn and the otherwise dependent and helpleless. The call to respect nature that ignore  the natural shape of human ecology in terms of sexuality and family relations. The law of unintended consequences. He doesn't let us rest easy with lazy thinking.

I am going to just say a few things now, then more later. You folks, please discuss.

Benedict has several points to make. The focus of the encyclical is development. As he tends to do Benedict begins by setting the previous encyclical in context, and emphasizing its continuity with previous Catholic teaching. Also consistent with his intellectual and spiritual priorities, Benedict emphasizes truth, God's communion with human beings as the origin of our communion with one another, and the limitations and even dangers of human institutions that lose sight of God and authentic human dignity.

Some passages and phrases that struck me particularly:

Love -- caritas -- is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth. Each person finds his good by adherence to God's plan for him, in order to realize it fully: in this plan, he finds his truth, and through adherence to this truth he becomes free

He emphasizes quite strongly the role of Truth in guiding our acts of charity and justice - and economic and civic life in general. This is pointed:

Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. In a culture without truth, this is the fatal risk facing love. It falls prey to contingent subjective emotions and opinions, the word "love" is abused and distorted, to the point where it comes to mean the opposite. Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word.
4. Because it is filled with truth, charity can be understood in the abundance of its values, it can be shared and communicated. Truth, in fact, is lógos which creates diá-logos, and hence communication and communion. Truth, by enabling men and women to let go of their subjective opinions and impressions, allows them to move beyond cultural and historical limitations and to come together in the assessment of the value and substance of things...A Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance. In other words, there would no longer be any real place for God in the world. Without truth, charity is confined to a narrow field devoid of relations. It is excluded from the plans and processes of promoting human development of universal range, in dialogue between knowledge and praxis.
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"Breathing space" is a phrase he uses three times in this encyclical.

He emphasizes "gratuitousness" as well (using it or a form 13 times)  - that is a sense of giving and sharing, rooted in the way that God gives to his children. When you read Benedict, this "chain" if you will, is very strong. God's love is real - not a concept or notion, but real. When we are in communion with God, God's love fills us, and it's that love - that specific, real love of God - that we share.

The earthly city is promoted not merely by relationships of rights and duties, but to an even greater and more fundamental extent by relationships of gratuitousness, mercy and communion.

The great challenge before us, accentuated by the problems of development in this global era and made even more urgent by the economic and financial crisis, is to demonstrate, in thinking and behaviour, not only that traditional principles of social ethics like transparency, honesty and responsibility cannot be ignored or attenuated, but also that in commercial relationships the principle of gratuitousness and the logic of gift as an expression of fraternity can and must find their place within normal economic activity. This is a human demand at the present time, but it is also demanded by economic logic. It is a demand both of charity and of truth.

Indeed, what Benedict says about "gratuitousness" is one of the more striking and provocative elements of this encyclical.

As is frequently the case, Benedict's thinking and language reaches a high point at the end of the document. This isn't the last line, but it's one that stuck with me. Not just in terms of development, but in terms of every aspect of life. It is our vocation. It is who we are in this world:

. Development needs Christians with their arms raised towards God in prayer......

In the end, I think it woud be most interesting to consider this encyclical as a work of evangelization - a strong call to turn to Jesus Christ, the One in whom we all find meaning - specifically Jesus Christ, in specific communion with Him -  a call which I hope can be heard.

The WSJ reports on meetings being held regarding reducing abortion rates, sponsored by the Obama administration:

Interviews with several participants suggest there is some common ground, but plenty of disagreements remain. It will be challenging for the White House to settle on policies that reach across the spectrum.

Participants said that abortion opponents tended to focus on efforts to help pregnant women keep their babies, while the abortion-rights camp focused on preventing unwanted pregnancy.

Some in the antiabortion community, for instance, suggested more support for pregnancy "crisis centers," which discourage women from having abortions. But abortion-rights supporters say these centers give out inaccurate information. Abortion-rights supporters want more support for contraception, which some abortion opponents are unenthusiastic about.

"Not everyone may agree on every issue we discuss, but we think there is enough common ground and potential for common ground here that people can help us to move forward," said domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes, who is leading the initiative.

The meetings -- anywhere from a dozen to two dozen people at a time -- began about a month ago and are expected to continue for another six to eight weeks. The White House hopes to have a proposal formed by late summer, Ms. Barnes said.

At the end of the process, the White House doesn't plan to seek any official endorsement for its proposals from any of the participants, Ms. Barnes said. Staff will review the comments and materials provided and develop recommendations for the president.

Mr. Obama has made it clear that he supports legal abortion, and he has taken several steps already that are consistent with that view. He lifted rules that prevent U.S. funding for international family-planning organizations that promote or offer abortion. And he also is allowing much greater federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, which many abortion opponents decry. But in each case, the president emphasized that he hoped to find ways to bridge the divide over the issue.

"I would like to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies that result in women feeling compelled to get an abortion or at least considering getting an abortion," he said at a news conference last week.

At the start of the initiative, the White House took off the table any discussion of whether abortion should be legal.

Ms. Barnes told participants that the White House is interested in hearing ideas in several areas, among them: sex education; responsible use of contraception; maternal and child health; pregnancy discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere; and adoption.

Participants say that suggestions included: improving education about use of contraception; better access to emergency contraception (which can be used after sex); improving education about sex, relationships and the "sacredness of sex"; stamping out employment discrimination against pregnant women; improving family-leave policies; and encouraging adoption.

Via Creative MInority Report , via Paul Kengor, who writes, citing Warren Rudman's memoirs. .

Rudman remembers when fears about David Souter's leanings were assuaged by his vote on Casey v. Planned Parenthood.

As fate would have it, on that same day Senator Rudman and Senator Joe Biden bumped into each other at the train station, not in Washington, DC but in Wilmington, Delaware.

"At first, I didn't see Joe; then I spotted him waving at me from far down the platform," Rudman later recorded in his memoirs, Combat: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate. "Joe had agonized over his vote for David, and I knew how thrilled he must be. We started running through the crowd toward each other, and when we met, we embraced, laughing and crying."

An ecstatic Biden wept tears of joy, telling Rudman over and over: "You were right about him [Souter]! ... You were right!"

The two men were so jubilant, so giddy--practically dancing--that Rudman said onlookers thought they were crazy: "[B]ut we just kept laughing and yelling and hugging each other because sometimes, there are happy endings."

It was sheer bliss: Roe v. Wade had been saved; it was alive. The two senators, liberal Democrat and liberal Republican, were so overcome that they sobbed. It was the most joyous moment.

Thanks to David Souter, Rudman celebrated: "The combined efforts of the Reagan and Bush administrations and the religious right to overthrow Roe had been defeated, probably for good."

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The text:Ed Henry?Q: Thank you, Mr. President. In a couple of weeks, you're going to be giving the commencement at Notre Dame. And, as you know, this has caused a lot of controversy among Catholics who are opposed to your...

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Bishop D'Arcy responds to Father Jenkins - this is on the Diocesan website, here:April 21, 2009 My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Recently, Father John Jenkins, CSC, in a letter of response to Bishop Olmsted of the Diocese of...

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On Friday afternoon, the NIH released draft guidelines for federally-funded embryo-destructive research. Backstory:  The Bush administration had limited such research to a few already-existent cell lines - a decision some hailed as a good compromise, and others - like me...

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Yesterday, a prayer rally sponsored by Notre Dame Response (a student group) was held on the campus of Notre Dame to protest President Obama's commencement speech and honorary degree.The NDObserver student newspaper covered it. An estimated 400 people were there...

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