VP Joe Biden: Pro-life activity is "one of the drawbacks of democracy"

Catholic Information Service for Africa reports on an address given by Vice-President Joe Biden in Kenya, a country that will be voting in August on a new constitution (ht: John Norton of OSV):

Mr Biden said it was not "his business how Kenyans will vote" at the August 4 referendum, but urged them to seize the moment to bring change.

"You are the best hope for this country," he said.

He urged Kenyans not to rely on their leaders to bring change saying they can only facilitate it.

"Change will not come from the top but from you."

He told his audience that the US Government could not dictate to a section of its elected leaders on what to say about the Kenya constitutional review process.

"It is one of the drawbacks of democracy," he said in reference to reports that American right wing groups were supporting Kenya religious leaders’ efforts to shoot down the proposed constitution.

Kenya’s Churches are against the clause on abortion that allows a health professional to terminate a pregnancy if the womans health is in danger and reports indicate that they are getting funds from US anti-abortionists to defeat the new law.

"Do not confuse that with the position of the US President, US Vice President and US Government," he said in answer to the Rev Timothy Njoya’s question on the issue.

Yes, please do not be confused about the position of the Obama Administration regarding abortion. Did you hear that, Douglas W. Kmiec? FOX News reports:

The Obama administration is offering incentives to Kenya to approve a controversial new constitution that would legalize abortion for the first time, promising that passage will "allow money to flow" into the nation's coffers, including U.S. aid.

But there's a hitch to that pledge. A federal law known as the Siljander Amendment passed in 2006 makes it illegal for the U.S. government to lobby on abortion in other countries -- and three U.S. lawmakers say they want a federal investigation into the promises made by the administration. ...

In a speech delivered last month in Kenya, Vice President Joe Biden urged the Kenyan people to pass the constitution in a referendum scheduled for Aug. 4.

"The United States strongly supports the process of constitutional reform. ... Dare to reach for transformative change, the kind of change that might come around only once in a lifetime," he said.

"If you make these changes, I promise you, new foreign private investment will come in like you've never seen," Biden added.

According to reports, U.S. ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger told Kenyan officials in May that the U.S. has offered $2 million in taxpayer funds for "civic education" to support the process of enacting a new constitution.

Who would have thought that Biden would prove to the be most transparent member of the Most Transparent Administration in the History of the Cosmos! "I promise you, new foreign private investment will come in like you've never seen..." Ah, the wonder and joy involved in encouraging and aiding a modern democracy almost makes me weep! LifeNews.com has some further background information here. Last month, a rally organized by pro-life and religious groups in the Kenyan capital Nairobi was bombed twice.

Comments

[LJ]

The Kenyans are in danger of self-determination, of deciding for themselves about abortion. The patronizing intellectual elites of the left in America could not possibly allow that. Pro-choice. Right.

You know, one might understand the lame argument given by the Catholic politicians like Joe Biden who hide behind the self determination principle in America and refuse to interject their "private morality" into the public debate. Supposedly it is the "people" who decide such moral issues.

It is a lame argument, and the cause of scandal in America as we well know, and puts those politicians into a very tenuous position with the Church, incurring a latae sentiae excommunication, whether they recognize it or not, based on their public statements and public votes.

All of that at least implies a certain "impassivity", an unwillingness to interfere with "freedoms" in America. It's not much in their defence, but a faint glimmer of hope.

But I wonder if Joe Biden realizes that he personally has crossed over into new territory here. This is active promotion of evil, being the agent of bribery to cause another people of a different nation, outside of the U.S. Constitution, to participate in the killing of the unborn. Not supporting life is bad enough in a moment like this, but to actively promote the evil on a people undecided carries Biden farther away from his faith than he even was before.

I can only hope that he soon realizes what he has done and experiences a conversion of heart.

[Brian J. Schuettler]

Biden has no problem expressing his personal opinion about a host of things, including what is best for Kenyan society. The man is just a duplicitous, hypocritical ass. I guess he is also now into bribery advocacy at the behest of his puppet master who, in turn, serves at the behest of his own puppet master, the Wall Street oligarchs...and, speaking of, OMG Obama, I admit I cannot figure the man out even now. He is obviously well spoken and intelligent, but is lacking in principle, weak willed, seemingly light in what used to be called character, and even worse, softly corrupt in the 'go along to get along' and low class grubbiness of the Chicago machine. The choice and continuance of Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary epitomizes his presidency. The American people voted for change, for a Roosevelt, and were delivered something closer to a Warren G. Harding.

[Mulder]

Love the shout out to Kmiec.