There's
this article from the AP in which the Catholic church yet again mischaracterizes pro-choicers and the proper balance between Catholic politician's civic and religious duties.
Yes. It's true. We liberals love abortion. If we could, we'd have big abortion parties, because we just love it so much.
It's the moral ambiguity that makes it fun. It's the way we all wake up and think, "How can I piss off God today?" Then we think, "Well, nobody has an authoritative stance on exactly when life begins... so not only do I get to abort a fetus, which I
love, but also, I get that thrill of wondering whether the devil is hanging right over my shoulder. Gee golly, this is the best darn birth control method out there."
Step off it, conservatives. The truth is that there is no such thing as a pro-abortion stance. There is a pro-woman stance and a pro-choice stance. Being pro-choice means exactly that. In a world where we don't have a consensus on when life begins and when women's lives are often endangered by pregnancy (yes, guys, pregnancy/delivery have gotten much safer with the advent of modern medicine, but they still remain among the most dangerous things women do), the moral choice belongs to the woman, not the state. It isn't an easy choice for women to make, and most of us encourage as much thought as possible, from information on the development of the fetus and the procedure to consultation with family and spiritual leaders. But we oppose paternalistic state requirements that often put women at risk.
There is nothing anti-Catholic about being pro-choice. There might be something anti-Catholic about having an abortion or encouraging someone else to, but there is nothing anti-Catholic about putting the choice in the hands of individuals, not the state. The right needs to stop framing what Catholicism is as a political tool. They need to stop defining Kerry's faith for him.
Now, I grant that this, as was pointed out in comments on this diary entry, could serve to alienate some Catholics, actually helping Kerry and the Democrats. Still, it remains an unfair, inappropriate, and coercive tactic.