A Win for Obama, Moderate Catholics

It's more than just Catholic church leaders who are irked

(NEWSER) - President Obama's decision to require Catholic hospitals and universities to include birth control in employee health plans was bound to anger the church . But the backlash has gone beyond church leaders, Politico notes—even Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne, a liberal Catholic who typically backs Obama, accused the president of throwing "Catholic allies under the bus" in a column this week. And Marco Rubio thinks the decision will hurt Obama not just among religious people, but in general, "because it reflects a pattern of overreach," he says. More»

And only Rick Santorum is serious about doing that: Rick Santorum

(NEWSER) - If you want a president who will actively fight to overturn Roe v. Wade, Rick Santorum is your man. As he explains in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece today, the other Republican candidates "simply check the pro-life box," whereas Santorum "fight[s] the battle in the trenches and will continue to do so until every innocent human life in this country is protected." Today is the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and Santorum wants to make this the decade in which that decision is overturned. More»

Move could outlaw procedure in as little as 18 days

(NEWSER) - Ohio lawmakers will introduce a bill today that would make it illegal to perform an abortion in the state once a fetus develops a heartbeat—something that can happen within 18 days of conception. The bill, which would be the harshest abortion restriction in the country, already has support from 42 of the state’s 99 House members, according to WKYC . But even pro-life lawyers doubt the bill, if passed, could survive a court challenge. More»

Operation Rescue denies donations

(NEWSER) - The Kansas City man accused of gunning down an abortion provider is upset over his rocky relationship with a major pro-life group, the Kansas City Star reports. In a jailhouse interview, Scott Roeder said he has donated thousands of dollars to Operation Rescue—which denies the donations, denounces Roeder, and condemns the killing of Dr. George Tiller. "I haven’t been able to find him in the database,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama told Pope Benedict XVI yesterday that he would make every effort to reduce the number of abortions in the US, according to a Vatican spokesman. Bioethics and life issues were the focus of the men's 40-minute talk yesterday. The pontiff gave the president a booklet explaining the church's opposition to abortion and stem cell research, Reuters reports. More»