Letter-writer Jeannette Mollenkopf (CR, May 14) thinks abortion is a “horrible crime,” but she doesn’t get the objection to Notre Dame’s invitation to Obama while Bush was welcomed.
Her objection to Bush is that he acted “under false pretense, with great arrogance and in defiance of our allies” when he started the war in Iraq. Such ridicule of a president trying to protect his country from further terrorist attacks and acting on available intelligence with congressional approval and support of several allies is misplaced.
Abortion is not a “horrible crime” or even a misdemeanor in this country. It is, however, an intrinsic evil in the eyes of the church and never justified under any conditions. On the other hand, the church recognizes that with respect to war and the death penalty, it is the responsibility of legitimate civil authority to make decisions on these hopefully unnecessary and extreme but sometimes justifiable responses to threats against society.
Bush did appoint some semblance of hope for Supreme Court action against abortion. He also made efforts to stop the intrinsic evil of embryonic stem-cell research. On the other hand, Obama is pro-abortion and pro-embryonic stem-cell research. He also clearly stated that he would be willing to sign a Freedom of Choice Act should it get to his desk.
If Mollenkopf wants to accuse people of false pretense, arrogance and defiance, she might consider the president of Notre Dame as an in-house example.