Washington D.C., Dec 12, 2008 / 00:36 am
A San Diego mother of seven who tracks the performance of Catholic politicians has found that many of the 162 Catholics in Congress have received a total of $9 million in contributions from pro-abortion groups since the 1990 election cycle.
Lisa Correnti runs the web site "One Nation Under God." While compiling information on political donations, she researched the total amount of campaign donations given to Catholic congressmen by groups such as Planned Parenthood, Emily's List, NOW, and Naral Pro-Choice America.
Correnti found that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has received $244,113 from such groups, while Sen. John Kerry has received $205,768.
Washington state's Sen. Patty Murray received more than $1 million from pro-abortion groups, while Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri received just under $1 million in campaign contributions.
Sen. Bob Casey, who is described as a pro-life Democrat, has received $327,914 from pro-abortion rights groups.
Though most donation recipients are Democrats, some Republican Catholics have also been implicated. Maine's Sen. Susan Collins reportedly received $237,347, while Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski received $13,935.
Information on the campaign donations of Vice President-Elect Joe Biden, who recently resigned his Senate seat, was not provided as he is no longer a current Congressman.
Correnti has launched an on-line petition drive asking Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to call on Catholic politicians to decline campaign donations from pro-abortion groups.
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"With 54% of self-identified Catholics supporting a presidential candidate with an extreme abortion record it became evident that Catholics are not clear on their responsibility to safeguard life through just public policy and electing moral leaders to public office," Correnti commented.
Both information on Catholic congressmen who receive donations from pro-abortion groups and information on the petition drive are located at the One Nation Under God web site, www.onenationundergod.org.