Notre Dame Splits on Obama Speech, Protests

President's Notre Dame speech was radical and conservative: Dionne

(NEWSER) - Abortion opponents protested and pro-life students skipped, but Barack Obama's Notre Dame commencement address was at once "the most radical and the most conservative speech of his presidency," writes Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne. The president refused to indulge the protesters' desire to "reignite the culture wars," opting for humility and compromise—but he showed a comfort with the language of faith equal to George Bush. 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»

Zealous Notre Dame protests will further hurt their cause

(NEWSER) - Randall Terry and other “Catholic extremists” will lead protests against President Obama’s speech at Notre Dame today—but their anti-abortion zealotry will only continue to hurt their cause, writes Frances Kissling in Salon. “The idea that anything goes in fighting abortion died” in the ‘90s when providers were shot, but that hasn’t stopped an “unapologetic” Terry from parading a blood-covered doll around the campus. More»

(NEWSER) - Students at Notre Dame upset that President Obama will deliver today's commencement address began an all-night prayer vigil Saturday night, reports AP. Earlier, campus police arrested 19 anti-abortion protesters—none of them students—and charged them with trespassing, notes CNN. The invitation to pro-choice Obama has raised a ruckus at the Catholic school, and some of the more extreme members of the anti-abortion camp plan to make their presence felt at the college. More»

Decisions on abortion, stem cell research swell ranks of activists

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s 12 weeks in office have seen a huge surge in membership and activity in the pro-life movement, reports Politico. Groups say that while they knew before he took office the president supported abortion rights, the speed with which he has moved to repeal Bush-era rules on abortion and stem-cell research has spurred them to mobilize. More»