American’s United for Life: The Case Against Sebelius – Clarke D. Forsythe and Denise M. Burke
First Things: The Sebelius Challenge – George Weigel
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President Obama picks Governor Sebelius for Health Secretary
March 1, 2009 – 9:46 am
Breitbart: Obama picks Kansas governor for health post (AP)
Obama Moves to Undo Conscience Rule on Abortion Providers
February 28, 2009 – 10:56 am
Update: Pelosi and Benedict XVI
February 18, 2009 – 10:47 am
Breitbart.com (AP): Pope: Catholic politicians must protect life
Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday told U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, that Catholic politicians have a duty to protect life “at all stages of its development,” the Vatican said.
Vatican City State: Official Statement from the Holy See
Office of the Speaker of the House: Official Statement of Speaker Nancy Pelosi
NRO: Where They in the Same Meeting? – George Weigel
Responding to Professor Wright’s Response…
February 18, 2009 – 9:36 am
By Michael J. New, University of Alabama
I want to thank Professor Wright for his response to my latest article about his abortion research. Before I respond to the specific points he raises, I want to make it clear that I have not accused Professor Wright of being dishonest. In my most recent posting on MoralAccountability.com, I publicly commend him for admitting that a mistake was made in his original data collection. This is something that many researchers in his situation would not have done. While I think that Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good should have made some kind of public announcement about the revised study, I in no way fault Professor Wright for this.
Response to Michael New: II
February 17, 2009 – 11:30 pm
Joseph Wright, Assistant Professor of Political Science Penn State University.
The main findings of my research show that the abortion rate is responsive to socioeconomic factors in the 1990s, when the overall abortion rate in the United States fell dramatically. Higher male employment, lower poverty rates, and more generous economic assistance are all correlated with lower abortion rates Read More
A Response To Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good
February 13, 2009 – 2:20 pm
This article is in response to Prof. Joseph Wright’s article “Commenting on Reducing Abortion in America“, published along with an open letter on the Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good website as well as on Moral Accountability – Editor
By Michael J. New, University of Alabama
I want to thank Joseph Wright, Sister Dillon, and Jennifer Goff for their gracious responses to my article about Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good’s most recent abortion study. In particular, I also want to thank Joseph Wright for being willing to publicly admit that an error was made in his original research. Many researchers are not forthright about mistakes and Wright and his original co-author should be commended for their honesty. Read More
Commenting on Reducing Abortion in America: A Response to Michael New
February 13, 2009 – 2:11 pm
An earlier edition of this post indicated that this brief response was from Prof. Wright. This is, in fact, the press release from the Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good website – Editor
Prof. Wright’s response can be found in PDF form here - Editor
In his article, “Holding ‘Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good’ Morally Accountable,” Michael New mischaracterizes Catholics in Alliance entirely. The Alliance promotes a consistent ethic of life and challenges both political parties to help end the tragedy of abortion. Our primary interest in commissioning the study, Reducing Abortion in America: The Effect of Socioeconomic Factors, was to explore ways to reduce abortions and find common-ground policies that support families, not to “provide cover” for any political party or ideology. In addition, as explicitly stated in the report, the Alliance endorses a comprehensive approach to reach this goal, including informed and parental consent laws. Read More
Why “Reducing the Number of Abortions” not Necessarily Prolife
February 12, 2009 – 3:07 pm
Francis J. Beckwith, Baylor University
President Barack Obama is unequivocal in his support of “abortion rights.” He has opposed laws forbidding the gruesome practice of partial-birth abortion, and even voted against Illinois’ born alive infant protection act, which protects babies who are born alive after surviving an attempted abortion. Despite Obama’s record, some prolife Catholics and Evangelicals supported the president’s candidacy on the grounds that his policies would reduce the number of abortions. Although my moralaccountability.com colleague Professor Michael New has provided convincing refutations of the empirical claim (see, for example, this one) made by Obama’s self-identified pro-life supporters, I want to respond to what I believe is the philosophical mistake that lurks behind their argument. Read More
Holding “Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good” Morally Accountable
February 9, 2009 – 2:49 pm
Michael J. New, University of Alabama
An August 2008 study released by the group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good had Obama supporters (and some editorial boards) swooning. Analyzing state level abortion data from 1982 to 2000, it purportedly found evidence that increased spending on various welfare programs resulted in substantial reductions in state abortion rates. The spin given to the results was that many pro-life laws, such as those requiring parental notification for abortions performed on minor girls, had little effect. So the paradoxical message to pro-life voters was that they could best advance their interests by electing pro-choice Democrats instead of pro-life Republicans. Read More