Paul Ryan on Abortion and Moral Relativism

Kengor_Catholic_Paul Ryan_090512

Mitt Romney’s pick of Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate speaks volumes. Ryan is known above all for his rigorous expertise in matters economic and fiscal. By picking Paul Ryan over other candidates, like Marco Rubio, Condoleezza Rice, and others, Romney revealed that he’s going to focus his campaign on the terrible economic and fiscal mess generated over the last four years. There’s no question that the economy and the deficit and the debt under President Obama is far worse now than four years ago. No question whatsoever. And few can make that case with the unerring precision of Paul Ryan.

But while those aspects of Paul Ryan’s record are getting the most attention, there’s much more about this Catholic congressman from Wisconsin. Consider a few facts from Ryan that, again, speak volumes:

Asked about abortion in a 2010 interview, Paul Ryan stated: “I’m as pro-life as a person gets.”

Indeed, the record bears that out. Ryan has a flawless 100% pro-life voting record from the National Right to Life Committee, and a 0% “pro-choice” ranking from the National Abortion Rights Action League. By contrast, Vice President Joe Biden, also Catholic, is a mirror opposite of Ryan.

That contrast with the current administration also holds true on marriage, where Ryan has voted in favor of constitutionally defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

In an even more revealing statement, Ryan was asked last year about what he thought was the biggest problem facing America. One might expect this deficit hawk to zero in on the national debt. Not at all. Said Ryan: “If you ask me what the biggest problem in America is, I’m not going to tell you debt, deficits, statistics, economics—I’ll tell you it’s moral relativism.

Well, I can’t argue with that. Combine moral relativism with 50-plus million abortions in America, and you have the Culture of Death. That, indeed, is the greatest problem in America, far surpassing debt and deficits. The fiscal/economic situation is destructive, but it isn’t deadly. Paul Ryan gets it.

For Catholic Exchange dot com and Ave Maria Radio, I’m Paul Kengor.

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Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College and executive director of The Center for Vision & Values. His books include “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism” and “Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century.”

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