Sir, a few things. You sully yourself using the pejorative “Democrat” pushed by President Trump and Fox News as childish name calling. To be taken seriously, use “Democratic Party” to grant the human beings who are members of that group the respect and dignity they have as fellow children of God.
Certainly, disagree with their policies, but there is no need for the childish mocking.
Also, while Trump, tepidly, supported the overturn of Roe v. Wade, it was, in fact, not him, but the State of Mississippi's suit that brought the case before the Supreme Court.
I share your view that abortion is a grave sin and goes against God’s love of life as our Creator. However, so are: the too high death of children and mothers in childbirth in our country, one of the worst in the developed world, the huge number of children and elderly living in poverty, the substandard and cruel conditions in nursing homes, the murder of innocent people and cruelty toward immigrants displayed by CBP and ICE at the behest and encouragement of the president, the huge, heartbreaking number of people, especially children, killed by gun violence, the ending of USAID to poor, hungry nations resulting in millions of deaths by starvation, famine and disease, the foolish wars and bombings of choice and the failure to denounce Russia’s war crimes against Ukraine, and more.
These, too, are issues of life and death. I stand with you in your opposition to abortion. I ask you to stand in solidarity with me against all areas that rob life from all God’s children, from conception to natural death. No matter which politicians we choose to vote for, we should hold all of them to account to be, truly, fully pro-life.
The church claims to be “pro-life” but I feel that abortion is a MAJOR political issue. It is so political that it causes a huge amount of voters to become single issue voters. Abortion should be a personal MEDICAL decision between a patient and her doctor. This should not involve my church or government. What rights should my government tell me what medical care I need? Separation of church and state has become very blurred. Since when is having any of our rights taken away after almost 50 yrs. I’m also an adoptee who was sold to my adoptive parents for $10k through Oakland County Catholic Social Services. What did they really do to earn that $10k purchase price and how much did they care about my welfare after they basically sold me. I later learned that Catholic Social Services didn’t even pay my biological mother’s medical bills.
This stirred up a deep wound in me today. THANK YOU for giving voice to what many of us have experienced. I lived in cognitive dissonance for MANY years as I attempted to marry up the teachings of our Church vs what I was being told at a local parish bible study level about my civic duty to vote AND what that must look like if I was a good Catholic. I was literally praying about this on Monday...and here is your experience-with receipts!!
The claim that the if you have to vote for someone because they were against abortion led to two related phenomena:
1) candidate A runs on a pro-life platform, votes in line with these campaign promises, but each of their policies actively make their voters’ lives worse. Their opponent Candidate B runs on a pro-choice platform, but all of their policies make their voters’ lives better.
2) candidate C is pro-choice but says they’re pro-life because that’s what gets you elected in an area, their opponent Candidate D is also pro-choice and campaigns as such.
Choosing B is valid because the totality of the policies is, on balance, better from B.
Choosing D is valid because being dishonest is a character flaw that you reasonably say isn’t something you want in someone who has power.
This was never made clear in the 5 non-negotiables tracts.
No one, who will defend the “ right to take the life” of the most vulnerable members of the human family, can have any credibility in their advocacy for any other measure of social justice
If one’s life can be taken away, then no claim to support can be secure.
This is another attempt by a Democrat apologist to set side the horrendous assault on unborn human life, which the Democrats have championed since the infamous Roe vs Wade decision of 1973, resulting in the destruction of 60 million unborn Americans.
This was reaffirmed by the last Democrat campaign under Kamala Harris, where the centrepiece of her campaign to defeat President Trump, was her insistence that Trump, by virtue of his decisive role in overturning Roe vs Wade, founded on an iniquitous piece of jurisprudence, had struck a blow against women when in fact it was, and remains, a wonderful liberation.
And what are your thoughts about the horrendous assault on the other aspects of Catholic Social Teaching as discussed in this piece? Are you able to address those? How can you reconcile your elevation of abortion as the most evil act with the entire body of papal encyclicals and the compendium of social teaching? To be Catholic is not to be reduced to one issue; it is a universal faith, with a conprehensive and nuanced ethos.
Not so nuanced that you can fail to see that an assault characteristic of abortion is so fundamental that all other considerations, while important, pale in significance
As I said, and as the Church insists, read Evangelical Vitae and Veritatis Splendor, no human rights are secure, if the life of the person in question, can be taken away, especially by those drafting the law .
"When it comes to the issues that are most important from a Catholic standpoint, Henry says the Church is very clear: Abortion is the primary issue Catholic voters should be concerned with this election season. While not the most popular topic in either conservative or liberal circles, the abortion issue gets to the very heart of the question: “If God has given us the gift of human life, then what does that require of us?”
Closely related to abortion, Henry says, is the debate over sex and gender, which addresses another fundamental question about human nature—the difference between men and women.
“It seems to me that the culture is desperately in need of conversations about these questions,” he says. “And we as Catholics have answers.”
For Catholics worried about being called “single-issue voters” because of their opposition to abortion or gender ideology, Henry says these criticisms do not hold much weight."
Yeah, that article is in direct contradiction to actual papal teaching. From Gaudete et Exsultate:
"Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.[84] We cannot uphold an ideal of holiness that would ignore injustice in a world where some revel, spend with abandon and live only for the latest consumer goods, even as others look on from afar, living their entire lives in abject poverty.
We often hear it said that, with respect to relativism and the flaws of our present world, the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser issue. Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue compared to the “grave” bioethical questions. That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian, for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children. Can we not realize that this is exactly what Jesus demands of us, when he tells us that in welcoming the stranger we welcome him (cf. Mt 25:35)?" (101-102)
Paul - It just makes me so sad that in so many parishes, parishioners are vilified for agreeing with your essay and your quote from Gaudete et Exsultate. When I brought up those points with our priest (care for those on the margins, warmongering, out attitudes towards the disabled, immigrants, etc), I was encouraged to find a parish that was a better fit (=an hour drive). It is impossible to sit through homilies, prayers of the faithful, and youth ministry without constantly hearing the same talking points as the Franciscan article. I mean, there are entire dioceses that seem to encourage the message of the Franciscan article.
My parents were as well - the Democratic Party needs to open itself up to those of us who oppose abortion but perhaps agree with them on other life issues.
I’m not so sure papal teaching conflicts with apostolic teaching - but, as a protestant pastor I like says, “please examine everything I say in light of the Scriptures to see for yourself if it is true.”
I think we, as faithful Catholics, need to examine Scripture, Tradition, Papal teaching and our own fully informed and formed consciences to work out these matters. In fact, I think we have a sacred responsibility as Baptized, Confirmed people to do so.
Sir, a few things. You sully yourself using the pejorative “Democrat” pushed by President Trump and Fox News as childish name calling. To be taken seriously, use “Democratic Party” to grant the human beings who are members of that group the respect and dignity they have as fellow children of God.
Certainly, disagree with their policies, but there is no need for the childish mocking.
Also, while Trump, tepidly, supported the overturn of Roe v. Wade, it was, in fact, not him, but the State of Mississippi's suit that brought the case before the Supreme Court.
I share your view that abortion is a grave sin and goes against God’s love of life as our Creator. However, so are: the too high death of children and mothers in childbirth in our country, one of the worst in the developed world, the huge number of children and elderly living in poverty, the substandard and cruel conditions in nursing homes, the murder of innocent people and cruelty toward immigrants displayed by CBP and ICE at the behest and encouragement of the president, the huge, heartbreaking number of people, especially children, killed by gun violence, the ending of USAID to poor, hungry nations resulting in millions of deaths by starvation, famine and disease, the foolish wars and bombings of choice and the failure to denounce Russia’s war crimes against Ukraine, and more.
These, too, are issues of life and death. I stand with you in your opposition to abortion. I ask you to stand in solidarity with me against all areas that rob life from all God’s children, from conception to natural death. No matter which politicians we choose to vote for, we should hold all of them to account to be, truly, fully pro-life.
Thank you very much for this, Paul. It moved me to tears.
Another great piece.
Thank you.
The church claims to be “pro-life” but I feel that abortion is a MAJOR political issue. It is so political that it causes a huge amount of voters to become single issue voters. Abortion should be a personal MEDICAL decision between a patient and her doctor. This should not involve my church or government. What rights should my government tell me what medical care I need? Separation of church and state has become very blurred. Since when is having any of our rights taken away after almost 50 yrs. I’m also an adoptee who was sold to my adoptive parents for $10k through Oakland County Catholic Social Services. What did they really do to earn that $10k purchase price and how much did they care about my welfare after they basically sold me. I later learned that Catholic Social Services didn’t even pay my biological mother’s medical bills.
This stirred up a deep wound in me today. THANK YOU for giving voice to what many of us have experienced. I lived in cognitive dissonance for MANY years as I attempted to marry up the teachings of our Church vs what I was being told at a local parish bible study level about my civic duty to vote AND what that must look like if I was a good Catholic. I was literally praying about this on Monday...and here is your experience-with receipts!!
We need to approach the elections with whole-gospel voting, not single-issue voting.
And on the matter of abortion, the Church and Catholics might consider our responsibilities to the affected women. I write about it here.
https://campil.substack.com/p/abortion-law-and-the-churchs-harder?r=hkouu&utm_medium=ios
The claim that the if you have to vote for someone because they were against abortion led to two related phenomena:
1) candidate A runs on a pro-life platform, votes in line with these campaign promises, but each of their policies actively make their voters’ lives worse. Their opponent Candidate B runs on a pro-choice platform, but all of their policies make their voters’ lives better.
2) candidate C is pro-choice but says they’re pro-life because that’s what gets you elected in an area, their opponent Candidate D is also pro-choice and campaigns as such.
Choosing B is valid because the totality of the policies is, on balance, better from B.
Choosing D is valid because being dishonest is a character flaw that you reasonably say isn’t something you want in someone who has power.
This was never made clear in the 5 non-negotiables tracts.
No one, who will defend the “ right to take the life” of the most vulnerable members of the human family, can have any credibility in their advocacy for any other measure of social justice
If one’s life can be taken away, then no claim to support can be secure.
This is another attempt by a Democrat apologist to set side the horrendous assault on unborn human life, which the Democrats have championed since the infamous Roe vs Wade decision of 1973, resulting in the destruction of 60 million unborn Americans.
This was reaffirmed by the last Democrat campaign under Kamala Harris, where the centrepiece of her campaign to defeat President Trump, was her insistence that Trump, by virtue of his decisive role in overturning Roe vs Wade, founded on an iniquitous piece of jurisprudence, had struck a blow against women when in fact it was, and remains, a wonderful liberation.
And what are your thoughts about the horrendous assault on the other aspects of Catholic Social Teaching as discussed in this piece? Are you able to address those? How can you reconcile your elevation of abortion as the most evil act with the entire body of papal encyclicals and the compendium of social teaching? To be Catholic is not to be reduced to one issue; it is a universal faith, with a conprehensive and nuanced ethos.
*Evangelium Vitae
Not so nuanced that you can fail to see that an assault characteristic of abortion is so fundamental that all other considerations, while important, pale in significance
As I said, and as the Church insists, read Evangelical Vitae and Veritatis Splendor, no human rights are secure, if the life of the person in question, can be taken away, especially by those drafting the law .
Thanks Paul.
In contrast, this article from Franciscan is the approach many of us heard from our priests:
https://magazine.franciscan.edu/articles/how-do-i-vote-like-a-catholic/
"When it comes to the issues that are most important from a Catholic standpoint, Henry says the Church is very clear: Abortion is the primary issue Catholic voters should be concerned with this election season. While not the most popular topic in either conservative or liberal circles, the abortion issue gets to the very heart of the question: “If God has given us the gift of human life, then what does that require of us?”
Closely related to abortion, Henry says, is the debate over sex and gender, which addresses another fundamental question about human nature—the difference between men and women.
“It seems to me that the culture is desperately in need of conversations about these questions,” he says. “And we as Catholics have answers.”
For Catholics worried about being called “single-issue voters” because of their opposition to abortion or gender ideology, Henry says these criticisms do not hold much weight."
Yeah, that article is in direct contradiction to actual papal teaching. From Gaudete et Exsultate:
"Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.[84] We cannot uphold an ideal of holiness that would ignore injustice in a world where some revel, spend with abandon and live only for the latest consumer goods, even as others look on from afar, living their entire lives in abject poverty.
We often hear it said that, with respect to relativism and the flaws of our present world, the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser issue. Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue compared to the “grave” bioethical questions. That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian, for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children. Can we not realize that this is exactly what Jesus demands of us, when he tells us that in welcoming the stranger we welcome him (cf. Mt 25:35)?" (101-102)
Paul - It just makes me so sad that in so many parishes, parishioners are vilified for agreeing with your essay and your quote from Gaudete et Exsultate. When I brought up those points with our priest (care for those on the margins, warmongering, out attitudes towards the disabled, immigrants, etc), I was encouraged to find a parish that was a better fit (=an hour drive). It is impossible to sit through homilies, prayers of the faithful, and youth ministry without constantly hearing the same talking points as the Franciscan article. I mean, there are entire dioceses that seem to encourage the message of the Franciscan article.
My parents were as well - the Democratic Party needs to open itself up to those of us who oppose abortion but perhaps agree with them on other life issues.
I’m not so sure papal teaching conflicts with apostolic teaching - but, as a protestant pastor I like says, “please examine everything I say in light of the Scriptures to see for yourself if it is true.”
I think we, as faithful Catholics, need to examine Scripture, Tradition, Papal teaching and our own fully informed and formed consciences to work out these matters. In fact, I think we have a sacred responsibility as Baptized, Confirmed people to do so.