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The  Weekly Standard ‘s outstanding John McCormack asked Nancy Pelosi to identify “the moral difference between what Dr. Gosnell did to a baby born alive at 23 weeks and aborting her moments before birth?” (Pelosi opposes legislation that would ban the latter.)

“As a practicing and respectful Catholic,” Pelosi responded, “this is sacred ground to me when we talk about this. I don’t think it should have anything to do with politics.”

Pelosi’s unreasoned invocation of religious identity almost makes one wonder if the Know-Nothings were right.

Almost. The Catholic church emphatically teaches that protecting innocent life is a “political” matter, a duty of every moral community. Speaker Pelosi, meanwhile, needs to learn that being Catholic does not necessarily preserve one immaculate from error and above all criticism.

Over to you, Matthew Hennessey .

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