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Attorney General Pryor Should be Confirmed

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By Deacon Keith A Fournier
( c ) Third Millennium, LLC

"I am the Kings good servant but Gods first" St. Thomas More

Alabama Attorney General William H. Pryor is a devout Catholic and an accomplished public servant with a stellar record. He has been nominated to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals by President George W. Bush.

He is widely known to have once referred to the Roe v Wade opinion as "the worst abomination in the history of constitutional law."

In his appearance before the committee considering his nomination he was probably expected to give some sort of nuanced response when asked about these prior statements. Instead he referred to abortion as "murder."

As the hearings unfolded, the committee received a dose of refreshing truth from Mr. Pryor in this response:

"I stand by that comment. I believe that not only is [Roe] unsupported by the text and structure of the Constitution, but it has led to a morally wrong result. It has led to the slaughter of millions of innocent, unborn children. That's my personal belief... I believe that abortion is the taking of human life ... I believe that abortion is morally wrong."

General Pryor is a Catholic. His position on the inviolable dignity and personhood of children in the womb is that of any faithful Catholic citizen. Those Catholics in public life who claim otherwise are being unfaithful to their baptism and placing their own souls in jeopardy. The teaching of the magisterium (teaching office) of the Catholic Church on this issue is unequivocal.

We ask you, humbly, to help.

General Pryor is also a patriotic American and an exemplary public servant who is eminently qualified for the bench. He, like the patron of all public servants and politicians, Thomas more, is ""the Kings good servant but Gods first". This is the path for all Catholic citizens who serve in public life. After all, the struggles that sometimes occur between Caesar and Christ are clearly addressed by the Lord. (See, e.g. Luke 20:21-26)

The General's opinion is also the opinion of a majority of Americans, religious or not. The recent cover of Newsweek magazine and countless polls have revealed the encouraging reawakening of America to truth. This issue concerns the fundamental human and civil rights issue of our age. The child in the womb is our neighbor. Medical science has confirmed it, common sense knows it and even our national deadened conscience, long deluded by the siren song of those who seek to define freedom as a raw power over others, can no longer pretend it isn't so.

His reasoned legal analysis that the Roe opinion is constitutionally wrong is shared by a growing number of constitutional lawyers and scholars. That opinion, a cousin of the infamous "Dred Scott" decision, is based on incorrect legal analysis, faulty history and junk appeals to junk science.

If this committee denies his appointment to the Federal Appeals Court it will make it difficult for faithful Catholics to serve on a Federal bench. It would also constitute arrogance of power and reveal a not so hidden anti-Catholic bias that is a real threat to any authentic democracy.

General Pryor should be confirmed.

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Deacon Keith A Fournier is the Editor in Chief of Catholic Online and a founder, along with Mike and Sandy Galloway, of the Your Catholic Voice movement. He serves as the President of the Your Catholic Voice Foundation.

Your Catholic Voice is a movement to promote faithful citizenship based on the fundamental truths of the Catholic Church relating to Life, Family, Freedom and Solidarity. For information go to Your Catholic Voice http://www.yourcatholicvoice.org