John F. Kennedy on Abortion

Supply funds for international birth control studies

Kennedy's statement represented a significant revolution in the attitude of the American government. He affirmed 2 principles: freedom of research on population matters and freedom of every nation to use the resulting knowledge in determining its own policy. In handling the question this way, he dispelled all doubt, if any remained, about the capacity of a Catholic President to decide public issues on their merits. Catholic concern seemed now to narrow to the relatively small point--and one on which they received reassurances--that the government should not ship out contraceptives.