Notre Dame’s 2009 class of graduates heard some moral calculus in
President Obama’s address at their commencement. His words were,
indeed, eloquent and often sounded so ‘fair-minded’, which he made his
theme as he hit his stride.

Like when he said…

So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions…

Nobody could argue that we need to do that, and many fervently work
to reduce it to zero. If something is a good, why try to reduce it? If
it’s an evil, why not try to eliminate it, the reasoning goes. Some
commentators pointed out that since abortion is the taking of human
life, talk like this blurs the line between what’s right and wrong to
do.

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins was on one of the
news shows after Obama delivered the Notre Dame address. He applied
that reasoning to Obama’s argument. “He talks about reducing the need
for abortion. Wait a minute, that’s assuming there is a need for abortion. That’s like saying we’re going to reduce the need for child abuse.”

Good point.

“President Obama talks about having a civil discourse and debate,”
said Perkins. “But he’s not being genuine. Look at his record. Don’t
listen to his rhetoric.”

If he genuinely is having a conversion of heart over the right to
conscience protection for health care workers opposed to abortion and
the need to draft a clause to honor that right, let his record show
that it was more than rhetoric.