Salon Opinion Piece Questions Obama's Pick To Head Office Of Faith-Based And Community Partnerships

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 10 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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President Obama's appointment of Alexia Kelley, founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, as director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships at HHS "took the pro-choice movement by surprise," Salon contributor Frances Kissling, a former president of Catholics for Choice, writes in an opinion piece. According to Kissling, abortion-rights supporters "want to know ... why the post, which includes oversight of the department's faith-based grant-making in family planning, HIV and AIDS and in small-scale research into the effect of religion and spirituality on early sexual behavior, has gone to someone who both believes abortion should be illegal and opposes contraception." She adds that Kelley and CACG have "sought to narrow the interpretation of common ground on abortion to efforts to reduce the number of abortions by providing women who are already pregnant with economic support for continuing the pregnancy and making adoption easier."

Kissling notes that the "HHS budget for family-planning services grants to faith-based and community groups is more than $20 million." She asks, "Can pro-family-planning religious groups expect a fair deal from a director who believes that birth control, even for married couples, is immoral? Will programs that provide contraception to adolescents get funded?" Kissling continues that Obama's February executive order on the office directed it to work to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion. She says of Kelley, "How can an opponent of the single most effective way to do both -- contraception -- lead that effort in HHS enthusiastically and effectively?"

Kissling also notes Kelley's accomplishments, writing that she "has much to offer in government -- but not at HHS." There are "10 other government agencies that have faith-based offices," and a "far less controversial placement could have been found at Labor, Housing and Urban Development, or the Department of Education," according to Kissling.

Kissling continues that some leaders in the abortion-rights movement "have not yet commented on the Kelley appointment; most are still reeling from Dr. Tiller's murder." However, "One hopes they will turn their attention to this appointment and demand a review of Kelley's qualifications for this post," Kissling writes. She continues, "Pro-choice groups also contributed to the president's election. They deserve appointees who agree with the platform on which the president ran. The pro-choice movement's recommendations for pro-choice appointees to the faith-based office's advisory council were ignored."

Kissling adds that the "mission going forward must be to ensure that any additional staff members appointed to faith-based centers in Cabinet-level agencies reflect the pro-choice, pro-family-planning values of the administration." She concludes that as abortion-rights supporters "try to get to the bottom of the Kelley appointment, greater oversight of, and consultation on, future appointments need to be secured" (Kissling, Salon, 6/7).

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