In 2016, the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) gave Walsh the “Men for Choice” award, which, in a tweet, he called “an honor.
In his 2017 re-election campaign, Walsh received the endorsement of Planned Parenthood, which he also said was “an honor.”
As mayor, Walsh was a supporter of the state’s ROE Act, which expands abortion access past 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases when a physician deems it “necessary to protect the patient’s life or physical or mental health, or in cases of lethal fetal anomalies, or where the fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside the uterus.”
The ROE act also allows 16-year-old girls to attain an abortion without the consent of a parent or judge, according to NPR. The act was passed in 2020.
Walsh earned the congratulations of NARAL in 2021 when he was appointed to the new presidential administration’s cabinet.
Cotter commented: “Catholic Memorial was founded to educate and foster good catholic youth to grow up and assume positions of leadership and responsibility both within the secular realm and within the Church.”
“So what kind of example are they setting by saying that this guy gets the honor because he donated money or he helped bring the unions in or donated resources to the school? Once again, it's like saying that mammon takes precedence over truth,” Cotter added.
Joseph Bukuras is a journalist at the Catholic News Agency. Joe has prior experience working in state and federal government, in non-profits, and Catholic education. He has contributed to an array of publications and his reporting has been cited by leading news sources, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Catholic University of America. He is based out of the Boston area.