Voting by Roman Catholics opposed to abortion
Teaching by a Vatican official (2008)
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Teaching by a Vatican official (2008):
A Vatican official confirmed the teachings of Pope
Benedict XVI in 2004 when he was Cardinal Ratzinger was the Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The official explained the responsibilities of the Catholic voter on the
abortion question during an
Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN)/Sirius Radio broadcast of "Catholic Answers Live" shortly before the 2008 presidential elections.
1 He
explained that because
the Church teaches that every abortion is considered a murder of a human person, the only acceptable law
is for a state or country to criminalize every abortion, even if an
abortion would be needed to save the life of the pregnant woman. The underlying Catholic teaching is that
no act that is of itself evil can be performed under any circumstances, even if
it would lead to a good end, like saving a life.
Thus, he explained, if a voter has a choice between two candidates or parties:
- One of whom would work towards the absolute abolition of all abortions, and
- The other would allow some abortions to be
performed -- e.g. if one is needed to save the life of the mother,
then the Catholic voter must vote for the former candidate or risk their
eternal security after death.
He also said that if neither candidate would work for the complete
abolition of abortion, then the voter must vote for the candidate whose policies
would result in fewer future abortions.Generally speaking:
- The Republican party's 2008 platform concentrates on
reducing abortions by restricting
women's access. If its current goals are achieved, the U.S. Supreme
Court will overturn Roe v. Wade. The laws of the individual states and
the District of Columbia would once more regulate abortions. Probably:
- About 22 states
would immediately or quickly ban most abortions;
- The District of Columbia,
Alaska, Hawaii, and 16 states in the west and northeast would retain women's
access to abortion; and
- The remaining 12 could go either way.
However, all or essentially all of those states that would ban most abortions would still
probably allow abortions to save the life of the woman.
- The Democratic party's 2008 platform favors
free access to abortion, which would tend to increase the number of abortions.
However,
they would also fund educational and support programs
designed
to reduce unwanted pregnancies and make it feasible for pregnant couples to
continue their pregnancy. The end result is expected to be an overall
reduction in the number of abortions.
Since neither party plans to totally eliminate abortions, then the Catholic
voter appears to be obligated to vote for whichever candidate or party is most likely to
effect the greatest reduction in abortions. That is a matter of opinion for
which there is no precise data available.
References:
The following information source was used to prepare and update the above
essay.
- "Catholic Answers Live" Eternal Word Television Network on Sirius Radio,
2008-OCT-22. I am unable to supply the name of the Vatican official since I only
heard the tail end of the program.
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Copyright © 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2008-OCT-26
Revised and updated: 2008-OCT-28
Author: B.A. Robinson
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