Here We Go Again

It's amazing how an issue like abortion can come up everywhere you turn. First you get the national poll that says 51% of Americans say they are Pro-Life. The first time more than half of the country polled that way, we were told. Abortion foes touted it as a sign of the success of their movement. I only have one problem - I want to know who the hell is really anti-life. I mean, seriously, if I was asked if I was pro-life, I would say sure. Now ask me if I support a women's right to chose, and you get the same answer - sure.

Then you have the hoopla over the President's visit to Notre Dame to give the commencement speech and receive an honorary degree. The religious right went into a tizzy and the protest started. To his credit, the President handled it well which made the protestors look all the more foolish. Especially since most of the students supported the President's visit to campus. Finally, as Katrina VanDen Heuvel at theNation.com wrote:

"Isn't this a moment when Catholic universities need to be reminded of the importance of uninhibited debate and free inquiry? I believe the attempt to have Notre Dame disinvite Obama is an example of the impulse to censor dissenting views in an environment that should welcome them. It is interesting, and somewhat hopeful, that Notre Dame's newspaper, The Observer, reports that most students on campus support allowing President Obama to speak and receive the degree, while much of the opposition is from alumni.
"As to Professor Glendon, I find it supremely hypocritical that she did not have the same reaction when the University invited President George W. Bush to speak. The Church is just as opposed to capital punishment as it is to abortion. Yet President Bush (as governor of Texas) oversaw more executions than any governor, and subsequently president, in American history."