The presidential candidates make their case for the Catholic vote

U.S. Catholic interviews Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama

1. How would you go about creating a culture of life in the United States, specifically with regard to the issues of abortion, stem cell research, and capital punishment?
John McCain: On abortion: I believe strongly in our moral obligation to stand up for human dignity. We must remember that our freedoms are not only defended by our diplomacy and military power but, very importantly, by the decency and respect with which we treat one another, and by our belief that as our dignity is entitled to respect, so are we obliged to respect and defend the dignity of others.

I am proud of my 25-year pro-life record in Congress. I oppose partial birth abortion and support the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step, however, in the long path toward ending abortion. Once the question is returned to the states, the fight for life will be one of courage and compassion—the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her child into the world and the compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby.

The pro-life movement has done tremendous work in building and reinforcing the infrastructure of civil society by strengthening faith-based, community, and neighborhood organizations that provide critical services to pregnant mothers in need.

On stem cells: Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases—hope for both cures and life-extending treatments. The compassion to relieve suffering and to cure deadly disease, however, cannot erode moral and ethical principles.

On capital punishment: I support the death penalty for heinous crimes in which the circumstances warrant capital punishment.

Barack Obama: On abortion: No one is pro-abortion, and I respect that people of good faith will disagree on this issue. I strongly support a woman’s right to choose. I also firmly believe that women do not make these decisions casually and that they are ultimately in the best position to make this decision with their family, their doctor, and their pastor.

At the same time, much more can and should be done to address the underlying factors that may lead a woman into the difficult situation where she feels she has to make this decision. For example, we should be working aggressively to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby the need for abortions. We have to ensure the availability of comprehensive health- and age-appropriate sex education. Abstinence is part of that, but there needs to be a full range of components, and government can’t do it all.

I’ve said regularly that parents have to step up to the plate; they need to turn off the television and instill in their kids a sense of the sacredness of sex. We also must commit to supporting women who choose to have a child. We can do this by ensuring the availability of and access to pre- and postnatal care, providing parenting education, and increasing support for adoption and foster care services.

On stem cells: Many of us have friends or family members who could benefit from more robust stem cell research, and I’m sorry that President Bush has fought this potentially life-saving research, which I have long supported along with many Republicans. Stem cells hold the promise of treatments and cures for more than 70 major diseases and conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic spinal cord injuries, diabetes, and more, and as many as 100 million Americans may benefit from embryonic stem cell research.

At the same time I believe that stem cell research needs to be conducted with the highest ethical standards. I co-sponsored stem cell legislation in Illinois that established review of this research by the Illinois Department of Public Health. In the United States Senate I co-sponsored legislation that would ensure that only those embryos that would otherwise be discarded could be used and that the donors would have to provide written consent for the use of these embryos. I also support greater research to explore the viability of adult stem cells and cord blood.

On capital punishment: Throughout my career I have worked strenuously to ensure that the death penalty is only administered fairly and justly. That’s why I joined with law enforcement and civil rights groups to reform a broken system in Illinois that had sent 13 innocent men to death row. But I do believe that there are some crimes that are so heinous that they deserve the death penalty. We also have to work with victims and victims’ families to ensure they are receiving the support and counseling they need when recovering from a violent crime.

2. Catholic social teaching proclaims a preferential option for the poor. In a time of increasing economic woes, what policies would you put in place to protect the poor and the working poor of this country?
McCain: I will make the eradication of poverty, which ensnares more than 36 million Americans, a top priority of the McCain administration. A strong and vibrant America, one in which people can move up into the middle class, put their kids through college, work hard, and one day retire in dignity, is critical not only to our economic future but to the very security of our nation.

As president I will set aside the needs of the special interests to advance the interests of the American people, especially those 12 million impoverished children who deserve every opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

I believe we must help Americans who are hurting from soaring gasoline and food costs. We can help lower gas prices by reducing our dependence on foreign oil through the use of domestic drilling and higher fuel economy standards. I’ll institute a summer gas tax holiday to provide real, immediate relief to hard-working Americans who are struggling to fill up their tanks.

I will overhaul unemployment insurance and make it a program for retraining, relocating, and assisting workers who have lost a job. The unemployment insurance system created in the 1950s needs to be modernized to meet the goals of helping displaced workers make ends meet between jobs and moving people quickly on to the next opportunity.