Catholic Abortion Stance a Factor in 2004 Election

By Liane Hansen

Published June 20, 2004 at 12:00 AM EDT

The debate within the Catholic Church over politicians who disagree with church policy -- specifically, the church's opposition to abortion -- could have an affect on the campaign of Sen. John Kerry, a pro-choice Catholic and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and Peter Steinfels, a religion and ethics columnist for The New York Times and author of A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America.

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Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.