The rift between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Catholic Church will likely grow thanks to new comments the abortion advocate made. Pelosi said in a new interview that the “free will” of women wanting abortions outweighs pro-life Catholic teachings.

Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift conducted a year-end interview with Pelosi.

The conversation turned to the topic of abortion and health care and Pelosi blasted the Catholic bishops for their opposition to the pro-abortion bill.

She tells Clift it was frustrating that Catholic bishops “were not willing to accept what we know to be a fact” — that the “public option” would supposedly not violate a ban on federally-funded abortions.

Then, as Clift asks about her “brushes” with the church, Pelosi drops a bomb.

“I have some concerns about the church’s position respecting a woman’s right to choose,” Pelosi responds. “I am a practicing Catholic, although they’re probably not too happy about that. But it is my faith.”

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The comments will likely throw fuel on the fire of public opinion within pro-life and Catholic circles that Pelosi is well-outside the mainstream — but she tells the pro-abortion Newsweek reporter she doesn’t care.

[…]

For Pelosi, her motive appears to be more about winning than her reputation and standing.

“I don’t care how popular I am. I’m not putting myself out there to run for higher office. I just [want to] make sure that we win the election next year,” she said.

The new comments follow on the heels of Pelosi thanking God that the Senate health care bill funds abortions.

Read in full, December 28, 2009

In yet another comment that will draw guffaws from pro-life advocates, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is thankful to God that the Senate bill include massive abortion funding. Pelosi also claims she has enough votes to pass a pro-abortion health care bill in the House, though that is disputed.

The Senate bill, unlike the House government-run health care measure, funds abortions though the public option and affordability credits.

[…]

The Senate bill “doesn’t have a public option, doesn’t expand Medicare for the (age) 55 to 64 group, and has abortion language that is completely different from the House — thank God.”

Pelosi told reporters she believes the House can approve the Senate bill or a merged conference committee measure even without the Stupak amendment the House added on a large bipartisan vote to remove abortion funding.

Read in full, December 17, 2009

Attorney Mary Harned of Americans United for Life, has also examined the abortion sections of Reid’s new measure, which she says “provides for an unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion. ”

“The bill includes pro-abortion language and mirrors the false compromise Capps Amendment from the House debate — it allows the public option to include abortion coverage and provides federal subsidies for private plans which cover abortion,” she said.

Read in full, November 19, 2009