Pelosi Says No "Common Ground" on Abortion: Calls for Scorched-Earth War Against Catholic Church, Pro-Lifers, GOP, et al

Notwithstanding the "common ground on abortion" nonsense that we often hear from the Doug Kmiecs, the "progressive Catholic" blogs, and practically every other Catholic who wishes to justify voting for the pro-abortion party, House Minority Leader (and former Speaker of the House) Nancy Pelosi is at least honest enough ... yes, I know: I struggled with putting "Nancy Pelosi" and "honest" in the same sentence ... but she's at least honest enough to admit that, WHEN IT COMES TO ABORTION, THERE IS NO COMMON GROUND.

Tom Peters reports:

I like Pelosi for this reason: she makes the fight we are in absolutely unambiguous.

[...]

Pelosi acknowledged that Dems could not stop Republicans from passing their anti-abortion agenda through the House. But she said it was crucial that pro-choice forces and Dems kick up enough noise to ensure that it dies in the Senate: “We have to make this issue too hot to handle.”

Pelosi added that the irreconcilable philosophical differences between Republicans and Dems on abortion left Dems no choice but to adopt a scorched-earth approach to the war ahead. “We don’t have a set of shared values,” she said. “We have to fight this out in the public domain, so when we move to the Senate it has no popular support.” [source]

[...]

The big deal is how Pelosi characterized the “philosophy” of her pro-life enemies:

“‘They are at a different philosophical place,’ she said, characterizing their view as: ‘all engagement has to result in a child.’ Pelosi noted that contraception and family planning is ‘not consistent with their belief that it’s all about procreation.’”

Where does this talk about “it’s all about procreation” come from? From Pelosi’s understanding of the Catholic Church’s teaching on the unitive and procreative dimensions of sex. This report of what Pelosi said is more clear:

“[the anti-choice crowd is] in a different philosophical place on…all engagements that result in a child. So that’s why homosexuality, that’s why birth control, all these things that are not consistent with their beliefs that are all about procreation.”

Pelosi struggles to be coherent sometimes, so allow me to explain what she is saying (and make no mistake, this is exactly what she is saying): “I disagree with the Church that sex must be unitive and procreative. I believe birth control, condomized sex and homosexual acts are okay.”

Pelosi is not expressing a practical disagreement with the USCCB (and pro-lifers, and the Catholic bishops, and the GOP) about what bills should pass Congress, she is firmly planting herself against the teachings of the Church and calling for a scorched-earth war against those teachings when they are put into practice.

[On the related excommunication question, my father Canon Lawyer Ed Peters wrote in 2010: "If [Pelosi's] prolonged public conduct does not qualify as obstinate perseverance in manifest grave sin, then, in all sincerity, I must admit to not knowing what would constitute obstinate perseverance in manifest grave sin.”]

[Read the whole thing]

(emphasis in Tom's original post)