Hattip to the ever-alert Jay Anderson of Pro Ecclesia.  Bravo to Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger of Evansville:

“Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger of Evansville said he will not attend an April right-to-life dinner where Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, is scheduled to speak because he objects to comments the GOP leader made about abortion.

The bishop’s decision followed a widely circulated March GQ magazine interview in which Steele, a Catholic, was asked if he thinks women have the right to choose abortion. He answered, “Yeah. I mean, again, I think that’s an individual choice.”

Following publication of the interview, Steele issued a statement, saying “I am pro-life, always have been, always will be.” He went on to say that “the Republican Party is and will continue to be the party of life.” He said he supports the Republican platform that calls for a Human Life Amendment.

After speaking with Steele on the phone March 20, and after examining the statement issued by Steele after the GQ interview, Bishop Gettelfinger wrote in a letter to the head of the organization sponsoring the dinner that his “early decision not to attend still stands.”

He said Steele’s answer seemed to emanate “from a political stance, not a principled one.”

“The principled answer for us is that there can be no equivocation,” Bishop Gettelfinger continued. “Intentional abortion is an act of killing the unborn. There is no room for choice in this deadly matter. Mr. Steele assiduously avoids such strong language.”"  The full story is here.

There are some battles too important for partisanship and too important for playing the usual liberal-conservative games.  The battle for the right to life  is just such a fight.  Catholics should tolerate no equivocation on this issue from those who seek or hold political power in this nation.  Those who oppose the right to life of the unborn should receive zero support from Catholics, whether they have a “D” or an “R” after their names.