Doug Kmiec debates George Weigel over Notre Dame
... in the Chicago Tribune:
- "Notre Dame's common ground", by Doug Kmiec.
- "The university's egregious error", by George Weigel.
... the Catholic Church is the foremost defender of unborn life, and properly, uncompromising about it. Obama is more pragmatic, accommodating other religious and scientific views that see the origin point of life differently.The last time I checked, there was little scientific dispute about what happens upon fertilization. The result of conception is a human life (how could it be anything other?)
Weigel in rebuttal:
It is important to remember, however, that the Catholic defense of the right to life is not a matter of arcane or esoteric Catholic doctrine: You don't have to believe in the primacy of the pope, in seven sacraments, in Mary's assumption into heaven, in the divine and human natures of Christ—you don't even have to believe in God—to take seriously the Catholic claim that innocent human life has an inalienable dignity and value that demands the protection of the laws. For that claim is not a uniquely Catholic claim; it reflects a first principle of justice that anyone can grasp, irrespective of their religious convictions or lack thereof.
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Following the 2004 Presidential election, we've expanded our discussion to cover the public policy decisions of Catholics in public service on both sides of the political divide.
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