Welcomes Catholic Kansas Governor's Possible Nomination to HHS Post

Catholics United executive director Chris Korzen issued the following statement today in response to a Catholic League press release intended to derail Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius's possible nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services:

“The Catholic League's attack on Gov. Sebelius is only the latest in a series of increasingly partisan and inflammatory statements that have emanated from the organization under the leadership of its current president, William Donohue. Today's press release represents a blatant attempt to malign President Obama and Gov. Sebelius to Catholic Americans. This attempt is made all the more shameful by Mr. Donohue's decision to omit key facts about Gov. Sebelius's record in preventing abortions in Kansas, and an apparent contradiction the organization’s own stated mission of protecting the civil rights of Catholics in the public square.”

“Had Mr. Donohue been interested in presenting a full accounting of the facts, he would have mentioned Gov. Sebelius's tireless support for children's health care and education, and her efforts to provide public financing for adoption and pregnancy support centers – all components of an effective pro-life agenda that can find broad support among the American people. Had Mr. Donohue been interested in presenting a full accounting of the facts, he would have mentioned that the number of abortions in Kansas declined by 12.6% from 2001 to 2007, due in part to Gov. Sebelius's advocacy for pregnant women and struggling families.”

“Like Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann – who often seems more interested in scoring political points against Gov. Sebelius than crafting effective abortion policyin the reality of politics – Mr. Donohue is doing a disservice to those Americans who will benefit from Gov. Sebelius's leadership as Health and Human Services Secretary. We remind U.S. Catholics and other observers that the Catholic League is part of a right-wing political movement at the margins of the Catholic community, and urge them to view Mr. Donohue and his comments in this context.”