Pro-choice and Anti-family

The Washington Times, October 18, 2000

Catholics were amused by allegations against George W. Bush suggesting he is anti-Catholic because of his appearance at Bob Jones University. Space doesn't permit comment on the house theology and policies of that school, but suffice it to say that in today's social climate of hostility toward religion, if a believer — let alone a Christian — doesn't know that other believers are not the enemy, he is simply not awake. Most Catholics agreed the charge against Mr. Bush was nonsense, and laughed it off.

What is offensively anti-Catholic is the sniveling and pandering by Al Gore to the genuine, sworn enemies of the Catholic Church like Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).

During the final battle at the United Nations Cairo+5 Conference on Population and Development in June 1999, there was a heated confrontation between the U.S. delegation and the Holy See (the official title of the Vatican U.N. delegation).

At issue was the Holy See's dogged insistence that some mention of parental rights be made in the final document. It was going late into the night when John Klink, lead negotiator for the Holy See, addressed the chair, saying, "Mr. Chairman, in a document which makes explicit reference to 'sexual and reproductive rights' in practically every paragraph I fail to see why it should be so difficult to have the phrase, 'respecting the rights, duties and responsibilities of parents' appear in even one paragraph of this document."

In U.N. language "sexual and reproductive rights" includes access to all contraceptive chemicals and devices, as well as abortion, and applies to adolescents, defined by the United Nations to include children as young as 10. The Clinton-Gore delegation was fighting to prevent any language allowing for parental involvement in the lives of their adolescents regarding these "rights."

The tension became such that even the delegate from the Sudan (where Christians at the time were being actively persecuted) sprang to the Holy See's defense on the inclusion of some protection of parents' rights. Also, a woman delegate from Norway — Scandinavia is widely regarded as having the most liberal attitudes in the world towards sex — stood up and said, "Mr. Chairman, as a parent I must agree that there must be some mention of parents' rights."

But Margaret Pollack, the lead negotiator for the U.S. delegation, would not be moved.

(Throughout these conferences the U.S. negotiating team was totally comprised of ideological feminists, leading one wag to comment that they must all be appointees of Mrs. Hillary Clinton. At one gathering the official U.S. delegation also included Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and other pro-abortion and population control zealots. It should also be noted that Planned Parenthood has been actively involved in a vicious campaign to remove the Holy See's Permanent Observer status at the United Nations because it stands in the way of their death-dealing agenda.)

Finally, Mr. Klink played his trump card. Pro-family lobbyists had compiled several quotations precisely on the rights, duties and responsibilities of parents made by President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy.

Mr. Klink read them out to the assembly, and only afterwards said they were statements by Mr. Clinton and Mr. Gore. The entire assembly erupted in laughter, except for Margaret Pollack who did a slow burn. Selective principles are something we've come to expect from the Clinton-Gore administration.

There was unconfirmed speculation that the U.S. delegation was taking direct orders from Mr. Gore. True or not, it is certain that Mr. Gore is one of the key leaders of this anti-family and anti-life apparatus that has been the true face of the Clinton-Gore administration that few Americans ever get to see.

John Mallon is contributing editor to Inside the Vatican magazine and an editorial consultant and contributor to The Daily Oklahoman editorial page. Read more about John here!