President Bush Vetoes Ban on Waterboarding

The White House has reported that President Bush vetoed legislation that would ban the CIA from waterboarding suspected terrorists because it would “take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror.” The president said, “This is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe."

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in its Faithful Citizenship document, s describes torture as a “direct assault on human life” and a “violation of human dignity.” Torture is an “intrinsically evil act” which “can never be justified.”

The most recent issue of Washington Monthly printed several anti-torture essays by authors from a range of political perspectives including former Pres. Jimmy Carter, Rev. Richard Cizik, and Rep. Bob Barr. The opening to the series of essays states, “Over the past decade, voters have had many legitimate worries: stagnant wages, corruption in Washington, terrorism, and a botched war in Iraq. But we believe that when Americans look back years from now, what will shame us most is that our country abandoned a bedrock principle of civilized nations: that torture is without exception wrong.”

People of faith are taking the lead in insisting that torture is a moral issue and can never be justified. Learn more about the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, supported by Catholics in Alliance, and find out how you can make your voice heard.