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Sen. Kennedy did his share of private and public good but then, we most of us do our share of good, proportionate to our means and connections; it is by no means disrespectful to the memory of this influential and powerful man to recall that he pivoted on abortion during a moment of crucial debate, and as Kennedy was then the very voice of Catholic politics, that mattered. His turnaround on abortion gave the American Catholic the means of paying lip service to life while enabling a culture of death. They didn’t even have to think about it, because Ted Kennedy had thought about it for them, and even fed them their lines.
He and other Catholic politicians made America dizzy with the oddball notion that one could be “personally opposed” to abortion but too broad-minded to “impose my views on others.” That sounded so reasonable and tolerant that it simplified the abortion debate for people who did not care to consider how nonsensical it was…
In terms of perception, Kennedy’s public positions did and do make life difficult for priests and bishops, but scandal is not at issue, here. Catholics find myriad ways to bring scandal to the Bride of Christ, every day. This is about the credibility that Kennedy’s endorsement gave to the abortion movement, and how that endorsement contributed to the subsequent decrease in respect for, and defense of, life-issues.
It could be reasonably argued that Kennedy’s pro-abortion stand gave permission for millions of Catholics to, in 2008, fully ignore Barack Obama’s 100 percent NARAL rating and his lack of support for state and federal born-alive initiatives (which equates to infanticide) and to justify their support with a blithe, “but he’s so good on other Catholics issues” (that has turned out to be debatable) and “his policies will reduce the need for abortion,” which is fodder for another argument…
...he was also a powerful public figure who substantially argued against the teachings of his own Church, sowed doubt and confusion among his fellows-in-faith and contributed to a cheapening of human life in the public mind. We gave him license to do all of that when we allowed his politics, behaviors, and office to go unchallenged.
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