"Now, with respect to religion, you know, as I said, I grew up a Catholic. I was an altar boy. I know that throughout my life this has made a difference to me," Sen. John Kerry told the audience at Arizona State University during Wednesday night's presidential debate.

Kerry explained that he can't rely on his faith when it comes to issues like abortion and gay marriage, but by the end of his answer, he was arguing that his faith influences his positions on poverty and the environment.

"I believe that I can't legislate or transfer to another American citizen my article of faith. What is an article of faith for me is not something that I can legislate on somebody who doesn't share that article of faith," Kerry pontificated.

But are the facts of biology really an article of faith?

Science, not faith, tells us that life begins at conception - and legislators who claim to respect what science teaches really have no choice in the matter.

The truth is, for Sen. Kerry, neither faith nor science has much to do with his position on abortion. His Senate record shows a 20-year history of pandering to the anti-life special interest groups that still hold the Democratic Party captive on this issue.

In this year's campaign, Kerry has accepted the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Federation, an aggressive promoter of abortion. He stopped his campaign and flew across the country to vote against the Unborn Victims of Violence Law (Laci's Law), which protects pregnant women and their unborn babies against violence.

Just last week he called the Catholic Church's teaching on the sanctity of human life "extreme right-wing ideology."

He also voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban six times, despite the fact that the ban included an exception for the life of the mother.

According to the Congressional Record, Kerry stated in 1994 that he would "vote against any restrictions on age, consent, funding restrictions, or any law to limit access to abortion."

He voted 25 times in favor of using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion. What's more, he has made it very clear that Catholics who agree with the Church teaching need not apply for judgeships.

In short, while claiming a Catholic heritage, he has used every opportunity to undermine Catholic values. This is why Kerry is trailing Bush among Catholics 53 percent to 36 percent. .

Of course when it's convenient for Kerry to cite the very faith he so often disdains, he has no problem doing so.

During the same two minute answer during Wednesday night's debate, Kerry proclaimed:

"My faith affects everything that I do, in truth. There's a great passage of the Bible that says, 'What does it mean, my brother, to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead.'

"And I think that everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith, but without transferring it in any official way to other people.

"That's why I fight against poverty. That's why I fight to clean up the environment and protect this earth.

"That's why I fight for equality and justice. All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith."

So for Kerry, it's not appropriate for faith to influence his views on abortion and gay marriage, but it's the driving force behind his positions on poverty and the environment.

Flip-flop, anyone?

Editor's note: