By Michelle Bauman

Washington D.C., Oct 23, 2012 / 05:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An analysis of Catholic women during the 2012 election season shows significant levels of agreement with Church teaching on contraception, as well as unity with other Americans in being concerned about the economy.

“I think the data here paint an interesting picture of Catholic women, in that Catholic women are more likely to agree with the Catholic Church hierarchy on both the social justice issues and also the social issues such as abortion,” said Melissa Deckman, political science professor at Washington College.

In an Oct. 22 panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Deckman analyzed how Catholics fit into “the gender gap in American presidential elections.”

The women’s vote is historically important, she said, noting that there are more women registered to vote and likely to vote than men in the U.S.
 
For decades, women have preferred Democratic candidates, she explained, and this held true in the 2008 election, in which Obama received 56 percent of the women’s vote while only receiving 49 percent of the men’s vote. In contrast, Republican candidate John McCain received only 43 percent of the women’s vote.

“This summer, it looked as though Obama was likely to maintain a double digit advantage among women voters come November, but polls in recent weeks demonstrate that the race for women voters is tightening,” Deckman said.

Despite the recent focus on the “women’s issues” of abortion and free employer-funded contraception, she observed that “women have been more likely to vote Democratic not because of reproductive rights issues, historically, but because of their attitudes about the social safety net.”

DOHA — I'm currently on my way from New York City to Tanzania, where I'll visit "the best hotel in the world" and some lesser-known game reserves in the southern part of the country.

After a 12-hour flight from JFK International Airport, I've spent the last six hours in Qatar Airways' premium terminal at Doha International Airport, and there's almost nothing to do here but eat.

Eating has pretty much been the theme of my trip since I arrived at JFK last night around 9 p.m. It's my first time flying business class, and I'm quickly realizing that one of the biggest differences between a coach ticket and a business class ticket is the food.

First there was the buffet in the Admirals Club at JFK's Terminal 8, which featured everything from roast chicken to pasta salad even though it was nearing midnight by the time I left.

And from the moment I sat down on the first leg of my flight on Qatar Airways, I was plied with food. Dinner, which was served around 1 a.m., was a five-course meal that included an amuse bouche and cheese course. The airline is known for its food and service — it was recently named the world's best airline by Skytrax — but I still didn't actually expect to enjoy the taste of my airplane meal.

Now I'm Qatar Airways' holding pen for business class travelers, and it's pretty impressive. The expansive room has several seating and rest areas, as well as a business center, kids' playroom, and clinic. There are no blaring speakers, either — an airline employee walks around the entire center and quietly informs travelers every time a flight starts boarding.

    Lebanese soldiers in armored vehicles fanned out across the country on Monday to break down civilian roadblocks and chase gunmen …

  Future bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat told CNN on Monday that slain Internal Security Forces intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan was on his …