Time.com Examines Impact Of White House Decisions On Catholics' Opinions Of Obama
April 21, 2017
Time on Friday examined how President Obama's decisions on issues related to abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research have affected his image among the 54% of Roman Catholics who supported him during the presidential campaign. The first few months of Obama's administration "have seen a sustained assault by a loose coalition of Catholic organizations and leaders who are committed to convincing their fellow church members that Obama doesn't share their values," Time reports. Although Catholic voters anticipated that Obama would reverse policies like the "global gag rule" and the Bush administration's limitations on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, they "also presumed Obama would handle and communicate these weighty decisions with a delicate touch, and in that respect, the president has disappointed the crucial voting bloc," Time reports. His explanations for several of these decisions has resulted in "constant fire from a determined group of conservative Catholics." For example, many Catholic and conservative commentators criticized Obama when he said that Bush's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research were "a false choice between sound science and moral values" and argued that the U.S. should "harness the power of science to achieve our goals." According to Time, the choice of language "struck some observers as the sort of black-and-white rhetoric he usually avoids -- and that his predecessor had embraced."
Catholic observers also have criticized the Obama administration's handling of the comment period for its proposal to rescind the Bush administration's HHS provider "conscience" rule, which expands health care workers' ability to refuse to provide services or information they find morally or religiously objectionable. Many religious advocates, backed by Catholic health care groups, submitted proposals during the 30-day comment period that ended last week. But according to Time, there is a perception that the White House "has strongly hinted" to abortion-rights groups that the comment period was "merely a formality." Such news "has some religious leaders privately grumbling about whether their input is welcome only for those topics on which they agree with the White House."
Meanwhile, Catholics also have been critical of Obama's selection of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) -- a Roman Catholic who supports abortion rights -- for HHS secretary. In addition, several prominent Catholic officials and groups have protested the University of Notre Dame's invitation to Obama to speak at its spring commencement. Although these initial actions are not likely to seriously harm Obama's standing among Catholics, they do "make it easier for the president's Catholic critics to question whether he respects their values and positions," Time reports. According to Time, a "relatively simple way" for Obama to dissuade his critics would be to advance his "common ground" agenda to reduce the need for abortions, but the approach is "already encountering some resistance from both sides." Although Obama's approval ratings continue to remain high, he also must avoid alienating "liberal and moderate Catholics who could defend him when times get tough," Time reports (Sullivan, Time, 4/10).
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