President Joe Biden awarded gay marriage and abortion activists with Presidential Citizens Medals Thursday.
Mary Bonauto, an attorney and gay marriage activist who argued before the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges, which created a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, and Evan Wolfson, a leading gay marriage activist, are among 20 recipients of the prestigious award presented at the White House Thursday. Eleanor Smeal, who led national pro-abortion campaigns and routinely criticized the Catholic Church’s position on abortion and sexuality, was also awarded.
“The Presidential Citizens Medal is awarded to citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens,” the White House announcement stated. “President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others. The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice.”
The medal is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive.
Smeal is the president of Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) and former president of the National Organization for Women, during which time she led the first national pro-abortion protest in the country in 1986, according to FMF. She has helped facilitate every major abortion protest since. (RELATED: ‘Hijacked To Promote The Killing Of Children’: Liberal Pastors Are ‘Blessing’ A Blue State Abortion Clinic)
Despite being born into the Catholic faith, Smeal frequently criticized the Church’s teachings, implying it is misogynistic and advocating for it to change its stance on abortion and birth control.
“Because of my sex, I am second-class forever in my church,” Smeal said after being arrested at the Vatican embassy in 1987 during a protest, according to the Washington Post. “Because of my sex, I could have been condemned to death at an early age” she said, referring to the Church’s ban on birth control.
Smeal also bashed President George W. Bush for nominating Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court in 2005, calling the judge “far-right” and claiming he “has demonstrated hostility to women’s rights,” according to FMF. Smeal complained that there were too many Catholics on the court with Alito present and said it “would underrepresent other religions, not to mention nonbelievers,” according to the Catholic News Agency.
“The left-wing corporate media loves to call President Biden a ‘devout’ Catholic. But Biden continues to undermine and attack the teachings that Catholics hold dear at every opportunity,” Joshua Mercer, vice president and co-founder of CatholicVote, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We believe that all children are made in God’s image and cannot be aborted. Biden believes unborn babies are disposable. Biden’s decision to honor a pro-abortion activist — who was arrested at the Vatican embassy — is just the latest in a long line of reprehensible actions against our faith.”
U.S. President Joe Biden presents Evan Wolfson with the Presidential Citizens Medal during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on January 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Catholic Church has long upheld its opposition to abortion, teaching Christians to value human dignity and life starting at conception. The Church also does not recognize same-sex marriage, upholding the belief that men and women are intrinsically different and marriage is “naturally ordered toward authentic union and the generation of new life,” according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Wolfson founded the gay marriage activist organization Freedom To Marry and led the nationwide campaign to legalize the practice at the federal level, along with fighting many legal battles in support of it, according to Freedom To Marry.
Trump is not only a fascist (as his former chief of staff, defense secretary, generals, and others have warned), he is Putin’s dream. Nothing more will damage the United States (not to mention our allies) than having Trump again doing Putin’s bidding in the White House.
— Evan Wolfson (@evanwolfson) October 24, 2024
“By leading the marriage equality movement, Evan Wolfson helped millions of people in all 50 states win the fundamental right to love, marry, and be themselves,” the Biden Administration wrote in the announcement. “For 32 years, starting with a visionary law school thesis, Evan Wolfson worked with singular focus and untiring optimism to change not just the law, but society—pioneering a political playbook for change and sharing its lessons, even now, with countless causes worldwide.”
Before helping to secure a national right to gay marriage, Bonauto was responsible for the legalization of gay marriage in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine, the announcement stated as the reasoning for her award. Bonauto is a senior director at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), which advocates for gender identity and sexuality causes, according to the organization’s mission statement.
“Her efforts made millions of families whole and forged a more perfect Union,” Biden’s announcement claimed.
Bonauto also wrote an amicus brief for a Supreme Court case in which she criticized the Catholic Social Services for its stance against placing children with same-sex couples, court documents show.
Another recipient listed is Nancy Landon Kassebaum, who was a staunch supporter of “a woman’s right to choose,” according to the press release.
Other recipients included veterans, civil rights activists and public servants.
Biden has routinely defended abortion and gay marriage throughout his presidency despite claiming to be a devout Catholic. Church leaders have frequently criticized the president for these stances, even denying him communion once in 2019. (RELATED: ‘Sign Of Great Hope’: Religious Leaders See A ‘Fourth Great Awakening’ As Americans Flock To Christianity)
In November the president awarded former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her “courage” and fearlessness in leading America towards being “a nation of freedom.” Richards oversaw at least 3.8 million abortions during her 12 years as Planned Parenthood’s president.
The Catholic vote was detrimental to Democrats during the 2024 presidential election, with many rejecting Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ abortion and gay marriage positions and fearing a Harris presidency would be hostile to Christians.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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