Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is reportedly emerging as the Obama administration’s top pick for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. She would replace former senator Tom Daschle, who withdrew his nomination after it was revealed he owed more than 128,000 dollars in unpaid taxes.
Sebelius, a Catholic, has received heavy criticism for her long pro-abortion record. In May, 2008, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City penned an open letter to the governor deploring her veto of a bill that would have placed restrictions on abortions:
What makes the governor’s actions and advocacy for legalized abortion, throughout her public career, even more painful for me is that she is Catholic. Sadly, Governor Sebelius is not unique in being a Catholic politician supporting legalized abortion.Since becoming archbishop, I have met with Governor Sebelius several times over many months to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral consequences of her public actions by which she has cooperated in the procurement of abortions performed in Kansas. My concern has been, as a pastor, both for the spiritual well-being of the governor but also for those who have been misled (scandalized) by her very public support for legalized abortion.
