Obama Stirs Up Abortion Debate at Notre Dame

Jennifer Mesko, Editor CitizenLink: President Barack Obama was greeted with a mix of protests and cheers as he gave the commencement address Sunday at the University of Notre Dame. Twenty-six of the graduates skipped the ceremony altogether, gathering on a corner of campus for a prayer vigil.

Catholics around the world were outraged when the pro-abortion Obama was invited to speak. Longtime Notre Dame philosophy professor Ralph McInerny was among them. "Abortion is an essentially evil act, both from the viewpoint of natural morality and from the explicit teaching the Church," he wrote. "There is no way in which an individual, a politician or an institution can finesse that fact. By inviting Barack Obama as commencement speaker, Notre Dame is telling the nation that the teaching of the Catholic Church on this fundamental matter can be ignored."

. . . Obama said Americans need to "work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions." His policies, however, suggest a far different agenda. In his first 100 days in office, Obama:

Signed an executive order allowing taxpayer funding to go to international groups that promote or provide abortions.

Opened the door for more human embryos to be destroyed for unethical stem-cell research.

Began the process of rescinding the Bush health care provider conscience regulations.

Lifted a seven-year ban on taxpayer funding of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is linked to forced abortion programs.

Chuck Donovan, Family Research Counsel & 1974 graduate of Notre Dame: "From the moment Obama arrived on stage, with a clearly exhilarated Notre Dame administration behind him in every sense of the word, the day was visually his. Commentators on CNN, MSNBC and Fox only had to echo the speech of Notre Dame's president, Fr. John Jenkins, that the commencement was all about 'dialogue' and this extraordinary President's ability to engage respectfully with those who disagree with him. Fortunately, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago gave us another view of the President's empathy after the two met in March. Cardinal George said, 'It's hard to disagree with [President Obama] because he'll always tell you he agrees with you. Maybe that's political. I think he sincerely wants to agree with you. You have to say, again and again, "No, Mr. President, we don't agree." The Cardinal is right. A conversation is not an echo. The only valid measure of Obama's 'open heart' on issues of life will be changes in his sweeping policies against it." Read: Chuck Donovan's Obama at Notre Dame

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