WHAT EXACTLY IS BUSH'S POSITION ON ABORTION?

Nick Confessore asks "WHERE DOES BUSH STAND ON ABORTION?":

Reader J.B. notes that George W. Bush does not share the Catholic Church's position on abortion -- which is a total ban that encompasses birth control. Needless to say, this is not a position shared by many Americans, let alone many Catholics. But that is the official position.

Bush's position is, well, rather hard to pin down. And deliberately so. Check out this selection of his positions on abortion and related issues, and you'll see a politician trying hard to signal to his base that he's against abortion without provoking a negative reaction from more socially liberal swing voters by coming out clearly and strongly on the issue. (Ronald Reagan was the same way.) I spent a few minutes clicking through Bush's campaign Web site, and couldn't actually find any official position on abortion anywhere in it. The main policy areas are given as economy, compassion, health care, education, homeland security, national security, and environment. Look through the "compassion" page, and you'll find stuff on "educating our children" -- hey, doesn't that belong on the "education" page, guys? -- and "fighting poverty at home," but nothing on abortion. (John Kerry lists positions on dozens of issues, including abortion. It's a telling difference in many respects.) So, as far as we know, Bush does not share the Catholic Church's position on abortion. And when it comes to doctrinal issues and litmus tests, it seems to me you don't get to go halfway: Either Bush's position on abortion is one that devout Catholics can support, or it isn't. Bush, of course, is not himself a Catholic. But why is it that conservative Catholic bishops don't ask for Bush to publicly clarify his position, so that all devout Catholics who wish to vote their religious beliefs will know whether or not they can vote for him in good conscience?

Now, Bush is not himself a Catholic. He is a United Methodist. And that faith has a relatively liberal position on abortion:

Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion. But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother, for whom devastating damage may result from an unacceptable pregnancy. In continuity with past Christian teaching, we recognize tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and in such cases we support the legal option of abortion under proper medical procedures. We cannot affirm abortion as an acceptable means of birth control, and we unconditionally reject it as a means of gender selection.

We oppose the use of late-term abortion known as dilation and extraction (partial-birth abortion) and call for the end of this practice except when the physical life of the mother is in danger and no other medical procedure is available, or in the case of severe fetal anomalies incompatible with life. We call all Christians to a searching and prayerful inquiry into the sorts of conditions that may warrant abortion. We commit our Church to continue to provide nurturing ministries to those who terminate a pregnancy, to those in the midst of a crisis pregnancy, and to those who give birth.

Governmental laws and regulations do not provide all the guidance required by the informed Christian conscience. Therefore, a decision concerning abortion should be made only after thoughtful and prayerful consideration by the parties involved, with medical, pastoral, and other appropriate counsel.
So Bush's faith permits abortion under certain circumstances. Does Bush? Once again, we just don't know, and the president appears reluctant to settle the question. It seems to me that if the press is going to write stories questioning whether Kerry is in line with his faith on the issue of abortion, they ought to write stories asking whether Bush is in line with his faith on the issue of abortion. And if he is not -- if, as I suspect, he endorses a more restrictive policy -- then I think it's only fair that the press keep a running watch on his attendance at Methodist services.

Since I know a great many people in the Christian right who support Bush solely on his perceived anti-abortion position, this is a question that needs a definitive answer. Mainstream media, please wake up and do the asking!!!