President deserves to be heard

Michael R. Smith (CR, Sept. 17) “Would someone please explain to me why my daughter is watching a speech, during her school day, delivered by a pro-choice president?”

Your daughter and other students had a special opportunity to hear the president of the United States encourage them to work hard in school. The fact that the president happens to be pro-choice is irrelevant. The insinuation that President Obama’s speech to schoolchildren might be “political indoctrination” is not only spiteful, it is simply untrue, as parents who read the advance copy of the speech already knew. What is equally troubling is the example some parents set for their children, that it is alright to be disrespectful to the president if he is pro-choice, and that listening to him for even 15 minutes is a waste of their time.

There are many people of goodwill – including President Obama – who are pro-choice. These are the people whose hearts and minds we will need to change if we hope to ever end abortion. But why would they want to listen to anything we say if we misrepresent their motives, refuse to listen and treat them with contempt? Perhaps the place to start is to put aside hate, and to practice – as well as model for our children – Jesus’ command to love one another. Only then will we be able to find the common values that will enable us to engage in productive communication.

Catholic Review

The Catholic Review is the official publication of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.