John Kerry Flip-Flops on When to Use His Catholic Belief on Politics

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Oct 14, 2004   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

John Kerry Flip-Flops on When to Use His Catholic Belief on Politics Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 14, 2004

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In an editorial column on Friday, Fr. Michael Reilly, a NewsMax.com opinion writer, says he spotted a contradiction in Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s use of his Catholic faith vis-a-vis public policy.

When it comes to issues like abortion, John Kerry has said he can’t use his Catholic faith to legislate policy against abortion. As a result, he has voted six times against a ban on partial-birth abortion and 25 times during his twenty year Senate tenure in favor of using taxpayer funds to pay for abortions.

During Wednesday night’s debate in Arizona, Kerry said, "I believe that I can’t legislate or transfer to another American citizen my article of faith."

"What is an article of faith for me is not something that I can legislate on somebody who doesn’t share that article of faith," Kerry added.

However, during his closing remarks in the debate, Kerry said, "My faith affects everything that I do."

"And I think that everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith," Kerry said.

Kerry said his faith guides him to "fight against poverty," "to clean up the environment and protect this earth" and to "fight for equality and justice."

"All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith," Kerry concluded.

In his NewsMax.com column, Father Reilly noticed the contradiction in the two statements.

"So for Kerry, it’s not appropriate for faith to influence his views on abortion … but it’s the driving force behind his positions on poverty and the environment," Reilly wrote.

Father Reilly said science should show Kerry the obvious point that life begins at conception.

"The truth is, for Sen. Kerry, neither faith nor science has much to do with his position on abortion," Father Reilly wrote.

Reilly said Kerry votes the way he does because he is beholden to special interests in the Democratic Party, namely abortion advocates. Kerry has the endorsement of NARAL and Planned Parenthood, the NewsMax.com writer said.

"In short, while claiming a Catholic heritage, he has used every opportunity to undermine Catholic values," Reilly concluded.