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Obama In Notre Dame Speech Calls For 'Open Hearts, Open Minds' In Abortion-Rights Debate

In his address at the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony on Sunday, President Obama urged advocates on both sides of the abortion-rights debate to treat each other with civility and find ways to work together on common goals, such as reducing the number of unintended pregnancies, the New York Times reports. Obama, who also received an honorary degree from the Roman Catholic university, called for more "open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words" on an issue that has long polarized the U.S. Obama said that although not all will agree on abortion rights, people "can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually" and "has both moral and spiritual dimension." He continued, "So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions," by reducing unintended pregnancies, making "adoption more available," and providing "care and support" to women who carry pregnancies to term. Obama also said he supports a "sensible conscience clause" that would allow health care workers to withhold services they find morally or religiously objectionable, the New York Times reports. The president said that "[e]ach side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature" (Baker/Saulny, New York Times, 5/18).According to the Wall Street Journal, Notre Dame"s invitation to Obama "amplified longstanding tensions" between the Catholic Church"s position against abortion rights and Catholic universities" academic freedom. Several Catholic bishops and antiabortion-rights advocates argued that it was wrong to honor Obama because of his support for abortion rights, while the university"s leadership and others said it is necessary to communicate with people of opposing views (Meckler, Wall Street Journal, 5/18). Notre Dame"s president, the Rev. John Jenkins, in his introduction of Obama praised the president for agreeing to speak at the ceremony. He said that although some individuals "might have avoided this venue" because of the abortion issue, Obama "is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him" (Evans, USA Today, 5/18). Jenkins also said, "If we want to extend courtesy, respect and love and enter into dialogue, then surely we can start by acknowledging what is honorable in others" (Dinan, Washington Times, 5/18).The New York Times reports that about 100 abortion-rights opponents protested on the edge of Notre Dame"s campus, and nearly 40 protesters were arrested trying to enter the campus (New York Times, 5/18). According to the Washington Post, more than 70 Catholic bishops criticized the university"s invitation, and more than 360,000 people signed a petition calling for the university to rescind the invite. The Post also reports that 26 of the 2,900 graduates chose to skip the commencement ceremony in protest of Obama"s speech (Shear, Washington Post, 5/18). However, the bulk of the audience at the ceremony "enthusiastically supported" the president, the New York Times reports. A few graduates pasted crosses and replicas of infants" feet on their mortarboards in protest of Obama"s visit, while some supporters displayed Obama"s campaign logo. Four protesters interrupted the speech with shouting and were removed by security guards; audience members responded to the shouting with Notre Dame chants and shouts of "Yes, we can," an Obama campaign slogan. The New York Times reports that while Obama has tried to avoid confrontation on the issue of abortion rights, the controversy over this Notre Dame speech and his pending nomination to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter have "pushed the issue to the forefront" (New York Times 5/18). Obama"s speech comes as his administration initiates its first meetings between advocates on both sides of the debate to discuss ways to reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. The meetings, which began at the beginning of May, are expected to continue for the next few
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New Booklet Helps Patients Better Understand Radiation Therapy

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has recently updated its award-winning patient booklet, Radiation Therapy for Cancer that provides information for people living with cancer and their loved ones who are exploring radiation therapy as a treatment option.

Report Looks At HIV Prevalence Among Chicago Gay Men

In Chicago, 17.4 percent of gay men are estimated to be HIV-positive, compared with 1.2 percent of the general male population, according to a new report by the Chicago Public Health Department, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The report is based on data collected from 570 Chicago men through the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system, and found that half of the men with HIV were unaware they were infected (Thomas, 7/25). "Health officials said Friday, information in the report on HIV infection mark the first time Chicago health officials have used blood-testing to determine infection rates among men," the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. In the past, estimates have relied on interviews with gay and bisexual men, according to Christopher Brown, the Public Health Department assistant commissioner. The report also found that "black men who have sex with other men have double the HIV infection rates of white and Hispanic men," the AP/Tribune reports (7/24). This information was reprinted from dailyreports.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily U.S. HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at dailyreports.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.