Catholics split on abortion, voting

DENVER, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Catholic voters supported the pro-choice candidate in the U.S. presidential election despite their church's opposition to abortion, election returns indicate.

Exits polls indicate that Catholics backed the Democrat, Barack Obama, by a 9 percent to 11 percent margin over the Republican, John McCain, The Denver Post reported Sunday. By comparison, the general electorate gave Obama a six-point advantage, the newspaper said.

One voter, Maria Orms, said she has left the Catholic Church over its opposition to abortion and Obama. She said the final straw for her was when the Nov. 9 bulletin at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Northglenn, Colo., had a congratulatory note from Pastor Gregory Ames for those who voted "pro-life" rather than for President-elect Barack Obama.

"You will never face a victim of abortion with blood on your hands," Ames wrote.

Orms said the announcement was confirmation for her that the church moving in a fundamentalist direction that doesn't fall in line with her other Catholic values.

"Leaving the church feels like a divorce to me -- it's that emotional," Orms said. "But I want to belong to a church, not a political action committee."