Obama appoints prolife Catholic to key health post

US President Obama yesterday announced that Alexia Kelley, founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, will serve as the director of the Health and Human Services Department's Centre for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

The Alliance, which has campaigned for health care reform, aid for the poor and immigration reform is also pro-life and advocates efforts to reduce the number of abortions by helping women who want to carry babies to term.

On its website, it states: "Catholics in Alliance believes in the sanctity of all human life-from conception until natural death....Our Catholic faith and the Catholic social tradition affirm that all life is sacred, and that every person has essential worth and dignity. Therefore, we support a consistent culture of life that includes protections for unborn children…"

But the appointment has already aroused criticism from both pro-choice and pro-life groups. Pro-life organisations describe Kelley as 'too liberal' and have pointed out that although she has always opposed abortion, Kelley has backed politicians who promote abortion rights and has supported lifting the ban on federally funding embryonic stem cell research.

For more information see: www.catholicsinalliance.org/