May 19, 2009

Obama at Notre Dame

Put aside the question of whether a distinctly Catholic institution like Notre Dame should award an honorary degree to a man who stands against any restrictions on abortion; put aside the notion of academic freedom, which liberals favor as an intellectual premise, but rarely practice when it comes to conservative speakers, whom you very rarely see standing at the lectern at commencement ceremonies anywhere in the United States this time of year.

Focus, instead, on President Obama’s remarks and whether he is serious, or can be made so, about actually reducing the number of abortions in America, which, according to the National Right to Life Committee, has reached 50 million since its legalization in 1973. Don’t put aside, however, the argument that there is only one reason to even want to reduce the number of abortions and that is that what is being killed, terminated, evacuated (choose your term) is, in fact, human life.

At Notre Dame, the president gave an eloquent and well-crafted speech, full of Christian rhetoric and self-deprecating humor. He made a strong case for civility in the abortion debate, but curiously noted that the advance in civil rights legislation came only after confrontation, some of which turned violent. Without that confrontation, he seemed to suggest, there might not be laws that liberated blacks and made it possible for him to become president.

In speaking of “original sin,” the president hit upon why abortion has been so easily tolerated for so long. He spoke of “self-interest” and “crass materialism,” but he did so in the context of economics, not abortion. Possibly without meaning to, he correctly diagnosed the underlying rationale that has caused so many to willingly, sometimes casually, snuff out another life.

The president listed these goals, “Let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions; let’s reduce unintended pregnancies.” (Watch for this to include a new push for contraceptives and the kind of sex education in schools that has failed to reduce and some believe encourages sexual activity.) “Let’s make adoption more available. Let’s provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term.”

As the president referred to scripture and skillfully engaged in religious rhetoric, he might consider this verse: “By their fruits you shall know them.” (Matthew 7:16).

The thousands of pregnancy centers in America today, which offer material and spiritual help to women, did not exist at the time of Roe v. Wade. Will the president raise their visibility and encourage women to seek their help? Will he encourage women who don’t want their babies to carry them to term so that others can adopt them? Fewer American women are giving their babies up for adoption. There are approximately 1.2 million abortions each year in the United States and at least that many people/couples waiting to adopt. I conclude that abortion has contributed to the lack of available infants for those wishing to adopt them, which is one reason many couples adopt overseas.

There is heartening news for pro-lifers as evidence has emerged of a slight cultural shift. For the first time since the Gallup organization began measuring opinion on the subject, more Americans self-identify as “pro-life” (51 percent) than “pro-choice” (42 percent). Moreover, Gallup found that momentum is now on the side of pro-lifers. Just one year ago, those self-identifying as pro-life stood at 44 percent and those who were pro-choice at 50 percent. That is a dramatic reversal. In part, it is because of the tireless efforts by pro-lifers through pregnancy help centers, sonograms, testimonies of women who regret having had an abortion and TV commercials. It is also because a new generation has rejected the old arguments about coat hangers and back alleys. Younger people are taking a fresh look at the issue and embracing the moral argument that all human life is sacred, whatever its status.

Politicians are sensing this, which is why Obama is trying to have it both ways and possibly further divide the Catholic vote. But at least he is giving credibility to the moral argument, unlike most of his pro-choice peers. His speech was an appeal for discussion and respect for people with different views. That’s a good beginning, but the ending is what counts and the initial actions of this president when it comes to abortion and stem cell research have not been pro-life.

Let’s see if he can produce some fruit from what has so far been a dead stump.

© 2009 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.