President Obama to Keynote Pro-Abortion Group’s Weekend Fundraising Dinner
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 5, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — President Barack Obama will keynote a dinner for an organization known for its pro-gay activities but which has also promoted abortion. In addressing the Human Rights Campaign, Obama is making the second overture to the pro-abortion group after putting a top HRC official on his faith task force.
Obama will address the Saturday fundraising gala for the Human Rights Campaign on a night when it plans to honor another abortion advocate.
"It is fitting that (Obama) will speak to our community on the night that we pay tribute to his friend and mentor Sen. Edward Kennedy," HRC president Joe Solmonese told the Associated Press.
While much of the focus on his attendance at the HRC dinner will be placed on its advocacy of the homosexual agenda, HRC has a long history of advocating abortion.
As recently as February, HRC endorsed Obama’s move to rescind conscience protections for medical professionals who don’t want to be forced to perform or refer for abortions.
The group "commended the Obama administration for beginning the process to repeal the Department of Health and Human Services regulations regarding ‘provider conscience’ and urges the Administration to repeal the regulations in their entirety."
"We commend the Obama administration for acting quickly to review these regulations and urge the Administration to repeal them in their entirety," Solmonese said at the time.
HRC submitted comments objecting to these regulations when they were proposed and specifically singled out abortion as a reason to dump them.
The speech comes after Obama announced in April that Harry Knox would fill out the roster of 25 people on the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Knox is the director of the religion and faith program at Human Rights Campaign.
He has come under fire for attacking the Pope, who recently said that condoms are not the answer to the AIDS/HIV crisis in Africa. Knox called Pope Benedict XVI a liar and said he should "start telling the truth about condom use" and claimed the Catholic leader was "endangering people’s lives."
Knox even went so far as to say that the Knights of Columbus group members are "foot soldiers of a discredited army of oppression."
Obama’s decision came under fire from pro-life advocates.
“Though Knox is not Catholic, he could not resist blasting the Catholic Church," Catholic League president Bill Donohue said at the time. "He never explained how calls for abstinence could possibly jeopardize anyone’s life."
Rep Mike Pence, a leading pro-life Republican in Congress, called on Obama to withdraw Knox’s appointment over his comments.
"Unfortunately, the President’s recent appointment to his advisory council makes a mockery out of the religious beliefs of countless Americans," he told LifeNews.com. "This selection furthers the divisive politics the American people have rejected and the President promised to abandon."
"Appointing a man who has publicly attacked the Pope and other religious leaders … is deeply offensive to millions of Americans and the faith-based community he is appointed to serve," Pence added.
During his administration, Obama has repeatedly promoted abortion and taxpayer funding of abortions.
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