The Gamut

John Kerry was accused yesterday of flipping in his abortion position. The premise is that shortly after the Roe v Wade decision, he commented that he opposes abortion and felt that it should be a state’s rights issue. Since then, he has come to fully understand the law, and supports it whole-heartedly. This is not a flip-flop.

Nuanced adjustments are not flips. In 1972, Kerry felt that the federal government had no business interfering in the issue of reproductive rights although he personally opposed the idea of abortion as a choice. In 2004, Kerry feels that the federal government has no business interfering in the issue of reproductive rights although he personally opposes the idea of abortion as a choice.

In 1972, Kerry was not running for president, so he spoke to the issue as a representative of the state of Massachusetts. In 2004, he is running for president and speaks to the issue as the potential emissary of the executive branch.

But the right-wing is also using the fact that Kerry, a Catholic, accepted Eucharist after being told by an Archbishop that his position on abortion makes him ineligible to receive the host. True, Kerry supports a woman's right to choose. However, he is not pro-abortion. He feels strongly that abortion is wrong. So do I. Kerry has never driven a girlfriend to an abortion clinic. He simply votes based on the law and lives by the bible. The first is his duty to his constituents as defined by the Constitution. The second is how he sees his duty to his God.

By the way, the church is also anti-death penalty. How many Catholic governors have ever taken Eucharist and then sent a man to his death in ol' sparky? The Catholic church is also opposed to the war in Iraq. How many Catholic chaplains give communion on a regular basis to soldiers in the field? How many women in this country who have had abortions or men who have paid for abortions and have never confessed to it do you think the church sees in the lineup every week?

Look, the Catholic church is free to be hypocritical about their own positions any time they want. I'm fine with that. But I'm not going to allow their hypocrisy to determine my vote.

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