Makes me think of Lincoln's response when asked if he thought God was on the Union's side in the civil war. His response, "I just hope we're on His."

Point, I wouldn't hope for either a liberal or a conservative pope, only one that, to the best of his ability, attempts to communicates what he believes is God's intent. Same is true for religious leaders of all faiths.

Roe v Wade ... I was sympathic at the time of the ruling, but it concerns me that over 50 million new lives have been done away with and that we continue to lose over 3,000 new lives each day. It also concerns me that I've read of significant numbers of post abortion complications ... physical and psychological for the ladies that have undergone abortions ... including many deaths. I read that the Center for Disease Control has said that the abortion death rate increases 40 to 60 percent per week for each week of delay after the eighth week. These never seem to get reported by the mainstream press. In a European study, almost 25% of the women who "interrupt their first pregnancy" have remained permanently childless. It also troubles me that suicide rates for women who have had abortions is many times higher than for those that carry their babies to term.

I wish there were more emphasis on the harm we may be doing to women without giving them all the information to let them make informed decisions and more focus on making all medical procedures safer. I think it's a sin when we hurt people and then hide the hurt.

Does this mean I'm pro-life. I guess it does, but, more than that ... I think we need to have really open and honest discussions of what's happening. Too many lives are being lost and too many people hurt to assume there's nothing here worth discussing.

And, on Alito. It's interesting that two of three rulings he has made upheld the RvW. I really think as a judge on the Supreme Court, his task is to rule on the constitutionality of issue at hand, not to make new policy. It troubles me whenever a judge displays an activist agenda because his/her rulings than can become law without any vote. I keep thinking creating laws is supposedly the reason we have congress.