The evidence is pretty strong: if you have access to family planning and birth control, the abortion rate is going to go down.
The broad consensus is that our system should be better structured to deter crimes without giving up on everyone who commits them, and should better balance resources to hold violent criminals fully accountable without imposing unnecessarily harsh sentences on nonviolent offenders.
I hope we can agree that it's better to cut taxes substantially, robustly, for the middle class as opposed to the top 1 percent. That would lift people's wages or take-home pay. And when you do that, you automatically are reducing somewhat the big costs in their lives.
Sometimes I, as a public official, turn to Scripture or hymns - especially hymns, because sometimes we Catholics don't have the Scriptures memorized like we should - to help me explain a public policy position or an idea or to be able to articulate it better when you're talking about justice or mercy or compassion.
We need a Supreme Court justice who will restore fairness, balance, and independence to the highest level of the judiciary. Based on his record, I do not believe Gorsuch would be that kind of justice.
Catholics are every bit as diverse as any other sort of voters out there, with conservative Democrats and moderates.
I don't support gay marriage, but I also don't support a constitutional amendment banning it. However, I do support same sex unions that would give gay couples all the rights, privileges and protections of marriage.
Pennsylvania is home to some of the hardest-working, toughest, most decent people in America.
Barack Obama and I have an honest disagreement on the issue of abortion.
I know Barack Obama. And I believe that as president, he'll pursue the common good by seeking common ground rather than trying to divide us.
So often, generalizations don't apply to Catholic voters. Catholics are concerned about the war, the economy, about issues like abortion, issues pertaining to the budget and funding Medicaid and Medicare and what happens to the environment.
I do think there's a difference between what a religious leader says and does and what a public official or legislator does. But there's no question that a lot of our legal underpinnings find a good bit of their foundations in the Scriptures.
After much deliberation, and after reviewing the legal, public policy and civil-rights questions presented, I support marriage equality for same-sex couples and believe that DOMA should be repealed.
The Supreme Court has increasingly come down on the side of big corporations instead of workers and middle-class families.
Under Chief Justice John Roberts, the court has decided a string of 5-4 decisions in which the Republican-appointed majority votes as a block in favor of corporations, overlooking workers and families looking for a fair shake.
The most direct path to success is a good job, but the road to employment for those with criminal records is often riddled with barriers. Removing those barriers would allow those with records to leave the past behind, support their families, make a positive future - and improve our economy.