Many have offered their perspective on Ted Kennedy’s death and the meaning of his life; such wide public discourse and reflection is appropriate because Kennedy was an over-arching political and cultural figure who played a large role in crafting the America in which we find ourselves. This badly tarnished icon of liberalism leaves behind a monumentally-lethal legacy.

There was a time when I supported Ted Kennedy for president because Jimmy Carter was just too conservative and incompetent to usher in a “progressive America”. But then came that baffling interview on “60 Minutes” – when Sen. Ted Kennedy, the standing knight of Camelot, could not put together a coherent answer to the simple question, “Why do you want to be president?”

My infatuation with the Kennedy mythos goes back to at least the 4th grade – when I wrote to the senator as part of a class project, asking for his autograph. (Of course, his top-drawer staff made sure I got one).

I say all that just to explain why I feel genuine discomfort over the life Ted Kennedy lived and pain over the disservice he offered to his country.

It wasn’t until the Lord rescued me from the sin of advocating abortion “rights” that I could begin to see Sen. Kennedy not as a legend, but as a truly tragic figure. In the years since, I have come to understand how truly dangerous he was.

Sen. Kennedy was an energetic and busy man with a long public record. I heard one report that he introduced some 2500 pieces of legislation over his career. But nothing else he did compares to the contribution he made in securing abortion rights. I believe a forceful argument can be made that he, more than any other single American, helped “mainstream” the murder of innocent children.

Perhaps that is why feminists tolerated his notorious abuse of so many women over his long life; why Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards mourned his passing with these words:“We will miss his heartfelt commitment to reform, his leadership in our effort, and most all, his friendship.”
She would not always have been so heartbroken, for Ted Kennedy was not always a radical champion of abortion. There was a day when Kennedy faithfully adhered to the basic tenets of his Catholic faith:

“While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized – the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old. When history looks back at this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception.”

This powerful statement of genuine idealism was written by Sen. Ted Kennedy to a constituent on August 3, 1971.

So how did Kennedy come to abandon such high principle to become among the most rabid champions of abortion? I don’t know the full story or its details; but I suspect his alcohol abuse and voracious sexual appetite played a substantial role. (It is not simply ironic that some of the strongest support for abortion rights comes from male predators who use legalized abortion to sweep away evidence of their abusive mistreatment of women).

What is most important, however, is the impact his “change of heart” had on America.

Given his place as heir to his brothers’ legacy, Ted Kennedy stood as the most influential and prominent Catholic lay American. (That unfortunate prominence was secured by John’s election as the nation’s only Catholic president). And, for over 30 years, Kennedy stood as a defiant monument, a national politician who claimed a Catholic heritage while simultaneously leading a rebellion against the most fundamental of Church teachings. And for over 30 years, his grasping hypocrisy focused bright stage lights on the ambivalence and impotence of Church leaders to effectively respond to his scandalous revolt. (An ambivalence which continued right through his funeral Mass this past weekend).

Through that long and sordid public drama, Kennedy served as a role model to many other ambitious politicians. His dark leadership made possible a whole generation of successful pro-abortion politicians who have combined to enshrine abortion “rights” at every opportunity. Without Ted Kennedy, we’d most likely not be suffering a Mario Cuomo or a Joe Biden or a Nancy Pelosi. And millions of Americans might be with us today.

I would submit that Kennedy’s role in legitimizing abortion is by far his greatest “contribution” to American society. It is a bloody and mangled legacy which will take generations to expunge.


-- David Ripley