An Inside View of Catholics for a Free Choice

By Cathy Cleaver Ruse, Esq.

Catholics for a Free Choice has been much in the news lately - - most of the time defending presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry. We are sure to see more of this group between now and the November election.

It is busy, and, apparently, growing, if not in public support, at least in staff. Recent job listings posted on an Internet employment site draw a smile for what they unwittingly reveal. Each job description ends with: "Knowledge of Catholicism is a plus."

Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) is, of course, not Catholic. While it presents itself as a group of thoughtful Catholics speaking with an authentic Catholic voice - - for that reason complete ignorance of Catholicism would not do - - it is peopled with non-Catholics and ex-Catholics bent on undermining the Catholic Church; specifically, the Church's efforts to extol and defend the sanctity of human life.

The group is run by Frances Kissling who, in a flash of candor, once disclosed her true purpose in an interview with Mother Jones: "I spent 20 years looking for a government that I could overthrow without being thrown in jail. I finally found one in the Catholic Church."

Kissling is fond of "clarifying" Catholic teaching on abortion for the many media outlets who invite her alternative Catholic opinion. Most seem indifferent to the fact that, not only do her words make mincemeat of Catholic teaching, but her actions also show ties to the abortion industry far stronger than any connection she might have with the Catholic Church.

Kissling, herself, once operated two abortion clinics in New York and also founded the National Abortion Federation. Here is a woman who does not hide behind the label of "choice." She is positively, passionately pro-abortion.

The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute's 2001 in-depth report on CFFC describes the organization's funding sources as being largely secular and anti-religious foundations which see CFFC as a convenient vehicle for undermining Church teaching. Hugh Hefner's Playboy Foundation, for instance, is a repeat grantor.

A one-million-dollar donor to CFFC is the Sunnen Foundation. Sunnen helped pay for the litigation that led to Roe v. Wade.

Kate Michelman, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America for two decades, joined CFFC's Board of Directors this year. She joins a colorful cast of like-minded characters such as one self-described abortion "liturgist."

Abortion liturgy, part of CFFC's attempt to make abortion "a holy, moral option," includes the following prayer: "Praised be you, Mother and Father God, that you have given your people the power of choice. We are saddened that the life circumstances of [aborting woman's name] are such that she has had to choose to terminate her pregnancy. We affirm her and support her in her decision."

Though its contributors are powerful and its spokesperson a darling of the media, CFFC does not seem to be gaining ground - - either with Catholics or the public at large.

A recent Zogby International poll of 1,388 Catholic voters indicates that most Catholics would not support a Catholic presidential candidate on issues where he opposes Church teaching. Eighty-five percent said they would be "less likely" to vote for a Catholic presidential candidate who opposes the Child Custody Protection Act (which would make it a federal offense to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion, if this circumvents the right of her parents to be involved under the law of their home state) and 68% would be less likely to support a candidate who opposes the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (recognizing an unborn child as a second crime victim). Sixty-five percent would be less likely to support a candidate who "would use a Roe v. Wade litmus test to appoint pro-choice judges."

CFFC has been left standing in the lurch, both with Catholics and with the general public. In the public at large, there has been a seismic shift in public opinion on abortion in the last 10 years.

Ten years ago the Gallup Organization found that 56% of Americans identified themselves as "pro-choice," compared to only 33% who identified themselves as "pro-life." But over the last 10 years that gap narrowed and then it closed altogether by the year 2000. Last month a new Zogby International poll showed that the numbers have finally flipped: today more Americans identify themselves "pro-life" than "pro-choice" by a margin of 49%-45%.

Americans are leaving the "pro-choice" cause. Women Americans too.

Last year the Center for Gender Equity - - an ardently "pro-choice" interest group headed by the former president of Planned Parenthood - - must have been baffled by the results of its own survey on women. It revealed that "Keeping abortion legal" ranked dead last in the list of "top priority" issues for the women's movement.

And over half of the women surveyed said they would like to see very strict limits on abortion - - 17% think abortion should never be permitted and 34% think it should be permitted only in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment. Abortion supporters acknowledge that these circumstances account for only about 2% of abortions.

Young people, too, are turning away from abortion. According to Zogby, 60% of the under-30 crowd thinks abortion should never be legal or should be legal only in cases of life endangerment or rape or incest. This comports with recent polls from the Gallup Organization showing that 18-29-year-olds hold stronger pro-life views that any other age group except for their grandparents.

And this conversion of the young to the pro-life position is not for lack of effort on the abortion industry's part. Several abortion activist groups launched a 40-million-dollar advertising campaign a few years ago designed specifically to draw young people to the "pro-choice" cause. Forty million dollars spells desperation even for the well-heeled Planned Parenthood set - - but apparently it doesn't spell "success."

The belief that every human life brought into existence by God must be respected from its very beginning has been a part of the Catholic faith's constant witness since the apostolic age. And this vision of human life has inspired not only Catholics but a growing portion of the culture at large to a greater understanding of the humanity of the unborn child and the truth about abortion.

No wonder Catholics for a Free Choice is hiring. But Catholics need not apply.

Cathy Cleaver Ruse, Esq., is director of planning and information, Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.