I think it is pretty clear that the answer is "Yes." Obama lied to them and they believed it. Now, many pro-life Catholics are heading into Advent wondering why they had been so eaily led astray by the charismatic Obama and wondering how they had been convinced to support a man who has almost no Christian values in his life at all.
They were lead astray by people like Doug Kmiec who wrote, "While no papal instruction will ever condone the "right to choose," the church does ask for a consistent and realistic defense of life that actually takes steps to reduce the incidence of the practice, not just condemns it. ... Beyond life issues, an audaciously hope-filled Democrat like Obama is a Catholic natural."
Unfortunately, Doug forgets that he is not a member of the body that makes policy for the Catholic Church in the United States. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops does that. And in their meeting in Baltimore, Maryland in early November, the Bishops drew a line in the sand concerning abortion, Catholic Hospitals and the Freedom Of Choice Act (FOCA).
You see, Barack Obama promised Planned Parenthood that he would sign FOCA into law first thing after taking office, the moment it hits his desk. Among the provisions of this law are: Forcing Catholic Hospitals into doing abortions and completely removing any requirment for informed consent (i.e. disclosing possible complications of the procedures) and any parental notification. (Without parental notification or informed consent, it would be entirely possible that a teen-aged girl could get an abortion and develop complications as a result of the procedure but her parents would never find out who or what caused them and they would not be able to seek compensation from those responsible.)
Right now, there are freedom-of-conscious laws in 46 states that prohibit the government from forcing Catholic Hospitals to perform morally objectionable prcedures. Doug Kmiec and other pro-life Catholics who supported Obama were betting on Barack Obama and the Democrats being respectful of those laws. It was a sucker's bet.
As the general public begins to gain access to more information that the news outlets deliberately suppressed during the campaign, people like Doug Kmiec are going to be made to look like fools. It is already showing at Slate with one of Doug's peers, Melinda Henneberger who writes:
| I have high hopes for President Obama, I was so looking forward to dancing at this party. Yet, although abortion was not a major issue in the race, the pro-life argument that he was the candidate most likely to decrease the need for—and number of—abortions did make it easier for many Catholics to cast their votes for him. I think we should hold him to that commitment now. At the very moment when Obama and his party have won the trust of so many Catholics who favor at least some limits on abortion, I hope he does not prove them wrong. I hope he does not make a fool out of that nice Doug Kmiec, who led the pro-life charge on his behalf. I hope he does not spit on the rest of us—though I don't take him for the spitting sort—on his way in the door. I hope that his appointment of Ellen Moran, formerly of EMILY's List, as his communications director is followed by the appointment of some equally good Democrats who hold pro-life views. By supporting and signing the current version of FOCA, Obama would reignite the culture war he so deftly sidestepped throughout this campaign. This is a fight he just doesn't need at a moment when there is no shortage of other crises to manage. |
As noted above, Doug Kmiec led his flock (i.e. his pro-life readers) astray and the Catholic Bishops are exposing him and others like him by openly calling into question Barack Obama's stance on forcing Catholic Hospitals to perform morally objectionable procedures.
Henneberger's column also shows how Barack Obama and the Dems in general have no respect at all for anyone who thinks outside of the leftist philosophy of the Democratic National Committee. Not one ounce of respect, even if those people cast votes in the Dem column.
Those pro-lifers who listened to people like Doug Kmiec and voted for Obama got punked. And they are starting to realize the hard truth about it. I can only guess at how much it hurts them to see that truth. But no amount of confession or penance can ever allow them to go back and change their vote.
You can access Henneberger's complete column on-line here:
Lose-Lose On Abortion
Melinda Henneberger
Slate
November 24, 2008
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