As Harris secures Democratic support, Catholic policy experts examine her record

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Vice President Kamala Harris became the likely Democratic nominee for president within just days of President Joe Biden’s historic announcement July 21 that he would end his own reelection bid and endorse his running mate.

An analysis by The Associated Press found Harris had secured the support of more than the 1,976 delegates she would need to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination in the first round of the party’s voting process in August. However, that pledged support is not binding until voting begins, which party officials have said will take place the first week of August, prior to their formal nominating convention later that month.

In a statement, Harris said she intended “to go out and earn this nomination.”

“I am grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has already put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people,” she said.

Catholics and experts in policy who spoke with OSV News said that Harris’ record in public life — from California attorney general, to U.S. senator, to vice president — sheds some light on how she might approach some areas of interest to Catholics, citing her record on abortion in particular as being at odds with Catholic teaching, but her record on issues such as labor as being more closely aligned.

Richard Wood, a sociologist and president of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California, told OSV News that “we have an incredibly rich mixture of faiths in the United States,” and Harris “more than any previous presidential contender reflects that rich tapestry: She was raised in a mixed Christian and Hindu family, married a Jewish man, and has long been an active member of Baptist congregations.”

He noted that Harris “very much brings a new historic presence to the election,” but stressed that neither Harris nor former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, “align fully with the teachings of the American Catholic bishops across a host of truly crucial issues in our day.”

“So American Catholics are going to have to discern carefully which candidate most closely — not perfectly, but generally — aligns with the views they have formed through their faith and their citizenship,” he said.

— Immigration —

Biden tasked Harris with addressing the root causes of illegal border crossings through engagements with Central American governments, in a project the White House called the “Root Causes Strategy.” Some of Harris’ critics, who dubbed her the “border czar,” pointed to record-breaking border crossings at the start of 2024, although that number has decreased since Biden took additional executive action to decrease them.

“When we met with Vice President Harris during her visit to El Paso in 2021, we stressed to her that the status quo at the border — turning back asylum-seekers and enforcement approaches which are driving up deaths — was unacceptable and that we needed more thoughtful and innovative approaches, “Dylan Corbett, executive director of the Hope Border Institute, a group that works to apply the perspective of Catholic social teaching in policy and practice to the U.S.-Mexico border region, told OSV News.

“We were able to have a candid dialogue about the importance of addressing the drivers of migration in sending countries,” Corbett said.

Corbett said “the status quo at the border remains unacceptable.”

“We need a new approach to managing migration at the border, one that works for our country, for border communities and the next generation of American immigrants looking to raise their families with dignity,” he said. “Both parties need to undertake a serious examination of conscience on immigration policy, which has been needlessly politicized, to the detriment of all.

“The compassionate and practical work of faith communities at the border to welcome another generation of newcomers shows that humane and safe immigration policies, which meet both the needs of our country and the needs of those who migrate, are possible and within reach. The only thing lacking is political leadership.”

Wood said that “overall, Harris’ work to address root causes that would allow potential migrants to stay and thrive in their home countries — where most would prefer to be — aligns well with Catholic priorities.”

“But on some key technical issues, some church-linked voices wish she had done more to drive aid through civil society and religious groups rather than through governments and big secular NGOs,” he added.

— Abortion —

Pro-life activists have long vocally criticized Harris’ record on abortion, and Harris has made expanding access to abortion a key part of her general election pitch.

“There’s just no question that she, like President Biden, breaks sharply with Catholic teaching on abortion,” Wood said.

As California attorney general, Harris was criticized by the state Catholic conference for sponsoring a bill that would have required pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise “free or low-cost” abortion services to their clients. That law was ultimately adopted by the state but struck down by the Supreme Court in 2018.

“We are deeply concerned about Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on abortion,” Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America, told OSV News.

“While President Biden has shown some willingness to work with pro-life individuals, Harris does not seem to have the same understanding or compassion for those who advocate for policies that provide alternatives to abortion,” Day said. “Her remarks on abortion are deeply offensive to women who regret their decision to have an abortion, and her rhetoric could lead to more tragic situations. It seems that Harris’ policies may hinder progress in this area of compassionate solutions for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. Her platform looks to failed policies of the past instead of looking for solutions for the future.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement that Harris “is determined to impose on all 50 states all-trimester abortion without any limits, even painful late-term abortions in the 7th, 8th, and 9th month of pregnancy.”

“Harris is so committed to abortion that she can’t see anything else — including the developmental stages of children before birth or the real needs of women,” Dannenfelser said. “Questioned several times on national television, Harris refused to name a single limit on abortion she supports. She’s even praised efforts to shut down pregnancy care centers which provide real support for women and families in need while becoming the first sitting vice president to campaign at an abortion business. While Joe Biden has trouble saying the word abortion, Kamala Harris shouts it.”

Some of Harris’ pro-life critics also pointed to her work as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2018, when she scrutinized the nominations of some potential judges over whether their membership in the “all-male” Knights of Columbus, a Catholic charitable organization, could impact their ability to hear cases “fairly and impartially,” citing the organization’s opposition to abortion.

Wood noted that while “these are areas of real tension and sometimes contradiction,” there are “also real areas of tension and contradiction between Catholic teaching and the Republican Party’s stance on a range of issues.”

Delegates at the Republican National Convention approved a new party platform July 15 that largely reflects their nominee Donald Trump’s political positions, many in his own words. Trump refused to back a 15-week abortion ban, a threshold at which some research has indicated unborn children are capable of feeling pain. Republicans struck from their platform at Trump’s behest a call for federal abortion restrictions at 20 weeks, which would have affected about 1% of abortions nationally.

“So, again, American Catholics have lots of discernment to do, faithfully and politically,” Wood said.

— Foreign policy —

Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor at Notre Dame Law School who specializes in international law and conflict resolution, told OSV News that in navigating foreign policy, “we are fortunate as Catholics to have the wisdom and insights of Pope Francis on major issues of the day.”

“His teaching aligns with international law and thus follows the common ethical commitments of the global community,” O’Connell said. “On war and peace, Catholics prioritize peace. The catechism makes clear that the only justified use of force is in self-defense.”

Ukraine, O’Connell said, “is fighting lawfully in self-defense,” and has “rightfully” had the support of Biden and Harris. But she said, the pair has “been equivocal about international law and the binding power of the United Nations Charter.”

If elected, O’Connell said, Harris could “invoke the charter’s prohibition on the use of force and do far more to win the support of China and India in ending the war. These states need to use their political and financial resources to win a Russian withdrawal.”

In regard to the conflict in Gaza, O’Connell said “Biden and Harris are isolated in the world community by their continuing major military support for Israel,” as that nation faces criticism about disproportionate civilian casualties in Gaza in their response to the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack carried out by Hamas.

“Nearly 40,000 people are dead in a war that is unlawful because it will not create protection from terrorism for Israel,” O’Connell said. “Quite the opposite. Winning peace can only happen if the U.S. leads on the basis of international law.”

O’Connell said Harris could also shift away from Biden’s “unlawful and immoral campaign of targeted killing,” citing his authorization of “the use of drones and other military force to kill certain individuals and all of those nearby.”

“This killing is supposed to end terrorism but like Israel’s wars against Palestinians, it has made matters worse,” she said, adding Harris “can begin to campaign on ending this practice and devoting resources to diplomacy for peace, climate protection, poverty eradication and global health. These efforts will respond to the root causes of migration, weak government and violence.”

O’Connell said Harris could “make all of these changes to U.S. foreign policy in the name of America’s long-standing commitment to the authentic rule of law at home and abroad.”

Harris was absent as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress July 24, but she issued a statement condemning the conduct at some protests of that speech near the Capitol, in which some participants burned an American flag and sprayed pro-Hamas graffiti at Washington’s Union Station, located near the Capitol complex.

“I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews,” Harris said. “Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation.”

Harris added the American flag “should never be desecrated in that way.”

“I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation,” she said.

Daniel Philpott, professor of political science at Notre Dame, told OSV News Harris would likely “continue the foreign policy of the Biden administration and would prompt the same combination of convergence and contradiction with the social teachings of the Catholic Church that Biden’s policy created.”

Philpott acknowledged that while her campaign has yet to formally state some of her own foreign policy vision, her “statements and actions as vice president, senator, and attorney general of California” can shed some insight.

Philpott concurred with O’Connell that Harris’ approach to Ukraine would likely be similar to Biden’s while her approach to Gaza may diverge.

“She would likely be more critical of Israel in its war against Hamas and its efforts to protect and aid civilians in Gaza, a view that she has voiced as vice president” he said. “While the lives and human rights of these civilians are clearly affirmed by Catholic teaching, it is debatable to what extent Israel is responsible for this suffering and depends on the uncertain matters of each side’s strategy and tactics.”

Harris’ advocacy for abortion access, Philpott added, would likely extend to her foreign policy as president.

“At a time when abortion policy is in flux in many countries around the world, most pronouncedly in Latin American countries and in international institutions, the way in which the United States wields its political and economic power on this issue will be crucial,” he said.

Catholics, Philpott argued, “ought to affirm Harris’s support for Ukraine and its struggle — a position that Trump and Vance do not share — but ought to raise loud cries of protest of her likely support for the massive violation of the human right to life and for the spread of destructive falsehoods about marriage and sexuality.”

— Other matters of social justice —

Wood said Harris “has a pretty complex record” on other issues of justice in society that the church’s social teaching speaks about.

“On crime, in her time as a district attorney and California attorney general she angered some folks on the left for her aggressive prosecution and what some saw as her failure to take anti-Black practices in some law enforcement agencies seriously enough,” he said. “But as a U.S. senator, she angered folks on the right by supporting serious and substantial legislation to reform law enforcement and hold officers more accountable if they violate the law. That complex record probably aligns pretty well with Catholic teaching on personal responsibility and against racism — which mix in all kinds of complicated ways in American society.”

Wood also said Harris’ record on climate change shows some alignment with Catholic teaching.

“She’s strongly supported efforts to address global warming, reduce fossil fuel use, and she’s worked against environmental assaults on poor communities,” he said. “Those are all things that the Catholic Church worldwide has made a huge priority.”

Woods cited issues of labor — a foundational aspect of Catholic social teaching since Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical “Rerum Novarum” — as another potential area of commonality.

“The Catholic Church strongly endorses the dignity of working people and their right to organize labor unions to represent them — that’s a key part of Catholic social teaching,” he said. “Harris has been very much behind the Biden administration’s pro-labor stance, and she has personally appeared with new leadership in unions like Unite-HERE, organizing low-income service workers. Meanwhile — although the GOP has long been quite anti-union — some parts of the Republican Party, including their new vice presidential candidate, but not Donald Trump, have moved toward pro-labor policies as well. So this will be dynamic political terrain this fall.”

Harris is expected to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination in August. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place Aug. 19-22.

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