Ted Kennedy

:This article is about the U.S. senator, for information about the ice hockey player see Ted Kennedy (hockey player).

Views on abortion

Although he has been a staunch advocate of abortion rights for the past 30 years, Kennedy once expressed a strong pro-life view in accord with Catholic church doctrine, as he expressed in this letter to a constituent, dated August 3, 1971:

Related Topics:
Pro-life - Catholic - August 3 - 1971

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:"While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized -- the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:"I share the confidence of those who feel that America is working to care for its unwanted as well as wanted children, protecting particularly those who cannot protect themselves. I also share the opinions of those who do not accept abortion as a response to our society's problems -- an inadequate welfare system, unsatisfactory job training programs, and insufficient financial support for all its citizens.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:"When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This letter was written at a time when abortion was a particularly hot topic, being fought in state legislatures throughout the United States. Seventeen months later, the U.S. Supreme Court would rule in Roe v. Wade that the "right of privacy... is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy." Shortly after that, Kennedy reversed his position on abortion, to the point where his abortion rights advocacy soon became a source of continuing dispute between him and the Catholic Church to which he belongs.

Related Topics:
State legislature - U.S. Supreme Court - Roe v. Wade - Abortion - Catholic Church

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~