Democratic vice-presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine drew a sharp line between his Catholic faith and his pro-choice political stance, as he defended himself against criticism from the party’s left that he is too conservative.

The Virginia Democrat said that he has “always supported Roe v. Wade,” the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion based on privacy rights.

“I think the last thing we need is a government that intrudes upon the decision-making of women — and men, too — when it comes to matters of whether it’s abortion rights [or] contraception,” Mr. Kaine said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Mr. Kaine described himself as a pro-life conservative during his successful 2005 run for Virginia governor.

He insisted on CNN that his stance has been consistent.

“I am a Catholic, and I accept the church’s teaching on this issue, but I do not believe the job of somebody in public life is to say ‘I’m a Catholic so my job is to make our laws consistent with Catholic doctrine and make everybody follow it,’” he said.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.