Catholics protest Democratic VP candidate Tim Kaine's pro-abortion stance

Jardine Malado Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Pro-life Catholics gathered outside the church attended by Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine last Sunday to peacefully protest his position on abortion.

Many of the demonstrators were holding signs condemning Kaine. "You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion," said one of the signs. Another sign read, "Canon 915 says NO HOLY COMMUNION for Tim Kaine!"

U.S. senatorial candidate and former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine addresses the first session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. September 4, 2012. | REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo

Sen. Kaine has been attending the St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia for 30 years. He reportedly got a standing ovation from the parish when he was nominated as Hillary Clinton's running mate.

Kaine previously said that he is pro-life but he also declared himself to be a "strong supporter of Roe v. Wade." Kaine even opposed partial-birth abortion when he was serving as the governor of Virginia.

But when he became a senator, there seemed to be a shift. Both Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America reportedly gave him a 100 percent rating for his voting record in the senate.

As a senator, Kaine was one of the sponsors of the Women's Health Protection Act, a bill that bans states from imposing restrictions on abortion. He opposed a measure to require an abortionist to notify parents before performing the procedure on minors. He also voted in favor of government funding for abortion providers.

"He is not America's dad at all," protest organizer Frances Bouton told WTVR 6. "If people just scratched the surface, he's really, all I can say, is evil," Bouton added.

In an email to LifeSiteNews, pro-life activist Maggie Egger criticized St. Elizabeth's parish priest for failing to remind Kaine about the sanctity of life.

"Sen. Kaine has failed in his duty as a Catholic public servant to defend the preborn and Fr. Arsenault has failed in his duty as pastor to admonish Sen. Kaine and to instruct the rest of his congregation on the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding the sanctity of human life," Egger said.

Bouton said that the demonstrators waited for latecomers to arrive before they set up outside the church. She mentioned that many of the churchgoers read the signs when they came out but no one spoke to the protestors.