Clinton Ambassador Blasts Kerry's Litmus Test on Abortion
Former Ambassador to the Vatican Raymond Flynn, one-time Democratic mayor of Boston and a longtime Kerry political ally, placed an ad in Sunday's New York Times calling on Kerry to pledge that he will not impose any abortion litmus test on candidates for the federal judiciary.
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Flynn, who heads Your Catholic Voice, a nationwide organization of Catholics, noted that the John Kerry for President Web site proclaims that the Massachusetts senator "will only nominate individuals to the federal bench whose records demonstrate ... the right to choose."
Wrote Flynn, "Removing political correctness from that statement, you have announced that you will only support people to the Federal Judiciary who support killing unborn children.
"Yet the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops mandates that 'the killing of unborn children is always intrinsically evil and can never be justified' and that those 'who formulate laws ... have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and sinning against the common good.'"
The strongly pro-life Flynn cited what he called "two of the most capable lawyers we know, Harvard Law professor Mary Ann Glendon and noted attorney Philip Moran as examples of those who would be barred from the bench under Kerry's litmus test."
"Why do you, Senator Kerry, have a 'litmus test' for judicial candidates that discriminates against Faithful Catholics?" Flynn asked.
Flynn, whom Kerry backed when he ran for mayor of Boston in 1984, and who backed Kerry when he ran for the Senate, wrote that his letter was "not on behalf of or in opposition to your candidacy" but explained that he was asking Kerry "to announce today that you will not impose any abortion litmus test on candidates for the Federal Judiciary ... especially those who are Faithful Catholics."
URL:http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/10/11/130632.shtml |
