Catholic World News News Feature
Pro-abortion lawyer advises diocese against pro-life guide October 26, 2004
A diocesan attorney who instructed pastors in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, not to distribute a pro-life voting guide has given thousands of dollars to pro-abortion candidates in state and national elections.
James G. Birnbaum, who serves as a lawyer for the La Crosse diocese, recently sent a letter to pastors and administrators of parishes in the diocese, telling them not to allow the distribution of Catholic Answer's "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" "on your parish grounds or during your parish activities." The guide is strongly pro-life and identifies abortion and embryonic stem cell destruction, among others, as non-negotiable issues for Catholics.
Birnbaum's letter cites concerns about violating tax law as his reason for his forbidding the guide's distribution. A review of public records, however, reveals that Birnbaum has a long history of contributing to pro-abortion politicians dating back to 1997 and continued as recently as June.
Birnbaum donated $6,500 to Rep. Ronald Kind, a pro-abortion Democrat congressman from Wisconsin's third district. Planned Parenthood's Congressional Scorecard reports Kind as voting for abortion 90 percent of the time. Birnbaum contributed to Kind as recently last March when he gave him $1,000 and then again in June another $1,000.
Birnbaum has given to at least three other pro-abortion candidates. In 1998 he donated $200 to Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold whose voting record scores 100 percent approval from Planned Parenthood. Birnbaum also gave $750 to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle who was the keynote speaker at two Planned Parenthood fundraisers. Birnbaum also gave $100 to state Rep. Jennifer Shilling who is running for reelection this year and has received Planned Parenthood's endorsement.
Birnbaum did not return repeated phone calls. Chancery officials in the Diocese of La Crosse also declined to return phones calls about Birnbaum's role in the diocesan decision not to use pro-life voting guides heading into next week's election. Birnbaum's role in the decision and his consistent support for pro-abortion candidates raises questions about a conflict of interest.
Ironically, the last bishop to lead the La Crosse diocese, which at the moment does not have a bishop, was Archbishop Raymond Burke, now of St. Louis. Archbishop Burke first brought national prominence to the question of pro-abortion Catholic politicians last January when it was learned that he counseled some pro-abortion Wisconsin politicians not to receive Communion. Now, as the archbishop of St. Louis, Burke has brought even more attention to the question after he announced that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry should not present himself for Communion in St. Louis. One source said that Archbishop Burke was unaware of Birnbaum's political contributions when he was in La Crosse.
