A Win for Obama, Moderate Catholics

(NEWSER) - Speaking amid the swirl of controversy as his pro-choice views and the pro-life values of a Catholic university collided, President Obama today called for "open minds" and "fair-minded words" in Notre Dame's debate surrounding abortion, reports the AP. Amid heckles and students booing hecklers, Obama faced the treacherous issue head-on, conceding that while the two sides are "irreconcilable," open discourse could bring "at least the possibility of common ground." More»

Gay rights will come later, when it's easier: Douthat

(NEWSER) - Democrats pushed Barack Obama into the White House hoping he could end the culture wars—and when they say “end,” they mean “win,” writes Ross Douthat in the New York Times. Obama’s strategy: “Engage on abortion, and punt on gay rights.” Though he made promises on gay rights, expect him to go on ignoring them, and seeking to attract pro-life voters. More»

Majority call themselves 'pro-life' for first time in survey's history

(NEWSER) - For the first time in 15 years, a majority of Americans identified themselves as “pro-life” on the issue of abortion, a Gallup poll finds. In a drastic shift from just a year ago, 51% say they’re pro-life, 42% pro-choice, after a 50%-44% split in favor of pro-choice in 2008. The poll sees particularly significant shifts toward the position among women, Republicans, Protestants, and Catholics. More»

Students excited about visit, not pleased with activists' tactics

(NEWSER) - As President Obama's commencement speech at Notre Dame approaches, pro-life activists have converged on the campus with banners, planes, and plans for civil disobedience. But students, who expressed pride that the president chose their school, aren't too happy with the protests. "It cheapens the argument. As someone who is pro-life, I don't respect it," one told the Washington Post. More»

(NEWSER) - The majority of Catholics voted for Obama in November, but they haven’t exactly been singing hosannas to him since. Though Obama made no secret of his support for stem cell research and his intention to overturn the ban on family planning funding overseas, even moderate Catholics have been disappointed with the way he’s handled the moves, Time reports. More»