Bush Speaks About 'Culture of Life' at Pennsylvania Campaign Rally Meets Privately With Roman Catholic Archbishop
(Kaisernetwork) President Bush on Thursday at a campaign rally in Hershey, Pa., spoke to a group of more than 23,000 supporters about the "culture of life" and criticized Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry's (Mass.) health plan before traveling to Philadelphia for a private meeting with Roman Catholic Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, the Washington Times reports. During the rally, Bush said, "We stand for a culture of life, in which every person matters and every being counts." He also criticized Kerry for voting against the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (S 3) (Curl, Washington Times, 10/22).
During the rally, Bush also discussed his proposals for health savings accounts, tax credits and limits on medical malpractice awards, Long Island Newsday reports (Metz, Long Island Newsday, 10/22).
Bush said that medical malpractice lawsuits have forced doctors -- including OB/GYNs -- out of states with high malpractice premiums, citing Pennsylvania as an example, the Allentown Morning Call reports. "You have a problem here in Pennsylvania. Because of junk lawsuits, you are losing good doctors," Bush said (Micek, Allentown Morning Call, 10/22).
He also criticized Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), who was a trial attorney before running for Senate, saying, "You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient and pro-personal injury lawyer at the same time," adding, "I'm standing with doctors. I'm standing with patients. I'm standing with the people of Pennsylvania," the Los Angeles Times reports (Anderson/Chen, Los Angeles Times, 10/22). Catholic Voters While in Pennsylvania, the Bush campaign continued efforts to reach religious voters, including the nation's 65 million Roman Catholics, the Miami Herald reports. Although Kerry is Catholic, his support for abortion rights "puts him at odds with the church's position," according to the Herald (Hutcheson, Miami Herald, 10/22). Bush is an evangelical Protestant and considers himself to be a"born-again Christian," the Washington Times reports.
During Bush's speech in Hershey, he used a phrase from the 1995 papal encyclical Evangelium Vitae to appeal to Pennsylvania's large Catholic constituency, according to the Times (Duin, Washington Times, 10/22). In addition, Bush also held a "high-profile" meeting with Rigali in Philadelphia, the New York Daily News reports (Kennedy, New York Daily News, 10/22).
According to Bush spokesperson Scott McClellan, the two met for 30 minutes and "had a good discussion about shared priorities." Although Rigali has not publicly endorsed Bush, he earlier this month told his followers that Catholics have "a duty and responsibility" to vote for candidates who "hold with our Catholic teaching that respecting all life from conception to a natural death is inviolable" (Curl, Washington Times, 10/22).
(c) 2004 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation Source: Kaisernetwork Publish Date: October 22, 2004
~ Posted by Jean M. Heimann
(Kaisernetwork) President Bush on Thursday at a campaign rally in Hershey, Pa., spoke to a group of more than 23,000 supporters about the "culture of life" and criticized Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry's (Mass.) health plan before traveling to Philadelphia for a private meeting with Roman Catholic Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, the Washington Times reports. During the rally, Bush said, "We stand for a culture of life, in which every person matters and every being counts." He also criticized Kerry for voting against the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (S 3) (Curl, Washington Times, 10/22).
During the rally, Bush also discussed his proposals for health savings accounts, tax credits and limits on medical malpractice awards, Long Island Newsday reports (Metz, Long Island Newsday, 10/22).
Bush said that medical malpractice lawsuits have forced doctors -- including OB/GYNs -- out of states with high malpractice premiums, citing Pennsylvania as an example, the Allentown Morning Call reports. "You have a problem here in Pennsylvania. Because of junk lawsuits, you are losing good doctors," Bush said (Micek, Allentown Morning Call, 10/22).
He also criticized Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), who was a trial attorney before running for Senate, saying, "You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient and pro-personal injury lawyer at the same time," adding, "I'm standing with doctors. I'm standing with patients. I'm standing with the people of Pennsylvania," the Los Angeles Times reports (Anderson/Chen, Los Angeles Times, 10/22). Catholic Voters While in Pennsylvania, the Bush campaign continued efforts to reach religious voters, including the nation's 65 million Roman Catholics, the Miami Herald reports. Although Kerry is Catholic, his support for abortion rights "puts him at odds with the church's position," according to the Herald (Hutcheson, Miami Herald, 10/22). Bush is an evangelical Protestant and considers himself to be a"born-again Christian," the Washington Times reports.
During Bush's speech in Hershey, he used a phrase from the 1995 papal encyclical Evangelium Vitae to appeal to Pennsylvania's large Catholic constituency, according to the Times (Duin, Washington Times, 10/22). In addition, Bush also held a "high-profile" meeting with Rigali in Philadelphia, the New York Daily News reports (Kennedy, New York Daily News, 10/22).
According to Bush spokesperson Scott McClellan, the two met for 30 minutes and "had a good discussion about shared priorities." Although Rigali has not publicly endorsed Bush, he earlier this month told his followers that Catholics have "a duty and responsibility" to vote for candidates who "hold with our Catholic teaching that respecting all life from conception to a natural death is inviolable" (Curl, Washington Times, 10/22).
(c) 2004 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation Source: Kaisernetwork Publish Date: October 22, 2004
~ Posted by Jean M. Heimann
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