by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
October 21, 2004
It kind of looks that way. Not that John Kerry would ever consider that he thinks it is okay to murder a human being. His coming out in support of the intentional killing of a person comes from his desire to be all things to all people and to take both sides of an issue. Kerry really outdid himself when he clearly showed that he stands on both sides of the abortion issue.
Last July the Democratic Party presidential candidate told CNN's Larry King that his religion (he's a Roman Catholic) was his "rock" and it is what "guides" him. Of course one of the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church is that abortion is the taking of a human life and as such, is strictly forbidden. While this doctrine supposedly "guides" Kerry, he has stated that he would not interfere with a woman's constitutional right to choose to have an abortion.
Kerrywas even clearer than he was on CNN when he told an Iowa newspaper that he thinks that life begins at conception. So just to wrap things up; he thinks that life begins at conception, but it is okay to terminate or destroy "that life". No matter how you put it, he believes in the intentional taking of a human life. He is sanctioning murder in some circumstances.
Kerry has quoted as saying that, "I think it's [abortion] is far more complicated than public life allows the discussion for". actually, it is not complex at all--in fact it is relatively simple. If you believe that actual life begins at conception as Kerry has said he does, then the intentional destruction of that life is murder. But if you believe that a fetus, at least at some stage, is nothing more than an unviable mass of cells, the destruction of those "non-human" cells is no big deal--it is not murder. The complexity that Kerry finds comes not from the facts of what an abortion is, but from the Senator's insistence to have it both ways.
John Kerry's position on life, death and abortion is even worse than that of Prime Minister Paul Martin. Martin who describes himself as a devout Roman Catholic has said that he follows the teachings of his church, but is also bound by Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In other words, he believes and follows the teachings of his church unless those teachings are overruled by a majority of the justices on the Supreme Court of Canada. Martin suffers from the same condition as does John Kerry. Both men need to please everybody and be all things to all people. at least if Kerry wins the next election, he and Martin will have a lot that they will be able to agree and disagree on. Unlike the Democratic contender however, Paul Martin has at least avoided saying publicly that he believes life begins at conception.
When John Kerry mentions his religion, he has the nerve to invoke the name of John F. Kennedy and speaks about how Kennedy had said he was not going to be a "Catholic" president. But the religious issue that Kennedy faced over 40 years ago was not the same as that being spoken about by Kerry today. Some americans believed that if a Catholic was elected to the presidency, american policy, especially foreign policy, would be decided by the Pope and directed from Rome. It is disingenuous for the Senator from Massachusetts to give the impression that Kennedy was a like-minded flip-flopper.
Politicians like Kerry and Martin are a product of their generation. It used to be that when presented with church dogma on such matters as abortion or birth control Catholics had certain choices. They could follow those teachings, remain within the church and not follow them or leave the church. But when the self-absorbed baby boomers like Kerry and Martin achieved adulthood, they came up with a further option. They think that the church should confirm to their standards--hey God; get with it; this is the 21st century--same sex marriage is in now. It is this thinking that allows people like John Kerry and Paul Martin to see absolutely nothing wrong with their inconsistencies when it comes to issues of faith.
John Kerry was right about one thing--the issue is way too complex for him to handle.