Catholic Marquette University Hires Pro-Abortion Russ Feingold

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 6, 2011   |   7:01PM   |   Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University is finding itself on the wrong side of the pro-life debate as it has chosen to hire pro-abortion former Senator Russ Feingold.

Feingold is no stranger to pro-life advocates in Wisconsin, as he racked up a strongly pro-abortion voting record and put people on the Supreme Court, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who will continue the 53 million abortions seen under Roe v. Wade.

Dean Joseph Kearney of Marquette Law knew the criticism would be coming in his explanation of the hire.

“While I do not doubt that some of his views are controversial, or, still less, suggest that all of them are right, an institution of legal education is especially well suited to explore multiple dimensions of such issues,” he said.

That’s not good enough for Joshua Mercer of Catholic Vote.

“Wisconsin voters kicked Sen. Russ Feingold out of office, so what happens at Marquette University, a Catholic school in Milwaukee? They just gave him a job,” he said. “Catholic voters in Wisconsin are all too familiar with Feingold’s pro-abortion and anti-family agenda. He had a 100% pro-abortion rating from NARAL and he also favored eliminating marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman.”

“Feingold has persistently refused any legal attempts to protect any children from the abortionist. He is not the person who should be teaching the next generation of Catholic lawyers at Marquette University. It is evident that this university, which almost hired a lesbian to be the dean of their law school, remains a bastion of dissident ‘Catholycis,'” he added.

In a blog post, Mercer points out that the Cardinal Newman Society, a Catholic higher education watchdog, said Kearney is attempting to “white-wash” the conflict between Feingold and the Catholic Church’s pro-life teachings.

“But Pope John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic universities, Ex corde Ecclesiae, stipulates,” the group says. “We wonder if Marquette will inform Feingold that his “controversial” views on a range of legal issues are in conflict with the University’s Catholic identity?”

Feingold lost re-election to pro-life Sen. Ron Johnson, who Wisconsin Right to Life endorsed.

“Ron Johnson is an individual who believes that protecting the most vulnerable members of the human family is the right thing to do,” said WRTL PAC chair Bonnie Pfaff. “He will work in Congress to help create a culture of life, where every human being is welcomed and protected. We believe Ron Johnson is an individual who has the values, background and experience to serve all the citizens of Wisconsin in an exceptional manner.”