Anti-abortion but pro-choice?

[NaturalEnquirer]

Hi all,

Another one for you. Do Catholics “have to be” pro-life? A question in today’s “Ask an Apologist” brought this to mind. Is it a sin to vote for someone who is pro-choice? If so, what sin is it? I don’t know if the politician would be sinning by casting pro-choice votes, but why would I be culpable for his sin? I’m not culpable of Bill Clinton’s adultery, even if I had voted for him, right?

Thanks very much!

 

[catholicmessage]

It is our moral obligation as Catholics to elect politicians who will uphold the dignity of human life. Abortion is the most pressing human life issue in the US these days, as there are as many as 1.5 million abortions each year in the US. It is not strictly a sin to vote for a pro-choice candidate as long as that candidate is the best available candidate for that particular office. For example, if 2 pro-choice candidates are the only candidates running against each other for that office, we should vote for the candidate that will best preserve human life.

Abortion is not the only issue to consider in an election. We must consider all issues as a whole. The reason that Catholics typically focus primarily on the abortion issue is that it is the most important issue, trumping all others at the present time. There may come a time when it is not the most important issue, if there should be some greater evil threatening our faith, human rights and freedoms (though it is hard to think of one).

We are responsible for the positions of the politicians we vote for. If we vote for a pro-choice candidate, we contribute to the perpetuation of abortion in this country. We would not be culpable for a politician’s adultery or any other sin if we did not know that person was going to commit the sin. Voting for a pro-choice candidate when a pro-life candidate was available would place some culpability on us for any pro-choice votes cast by that politician.

 

[LSK]

Good answer.

I have also struggled with this, however, because of the old 'golly-he/she-gets-everything-right-but" argument with politicians. I sometimes have wondered if it would be wiser to vote for a candidate who we have a chance of ‘converting’ (i.e. affecting a change in their heart) about the issue of abortion than voting for someone who may have little chance of being elected BECAUSE of his/her pro-life stance. I know I am talking strategy here which is kind of off topic, but has anyone else struggled with this question?

 

[jdavidb]

Hi all,

Another one for you. Do Catholics “have to be” pro-life? A question in today’s “Ask an Apologist” brought this to mind. Is it a sin to vote for someone who is pro-choice? If so, what sin is it? I don’t know if the politician would be sinning by casting pro-choice votes, but why would I be culpable for his sin? I’m not culpable of Bill Clinton’s adultery, even if I had voted for him, right?

Thanks very much!

I’m not Catholic, but according to Catholic priest Robert Altier here, knowingly voting for someone who is pro-abortion is indeed a grave sin. So is “Promoting, counseling or paying for an abortion.”

When you vote, you are picking someone to represent you. They are acting on your behalf. So if you empower someone to represent you, they can only do what you have authorized them to do, and you can only authorize them to do something that you have the right to do. If you can’t counsel someone to receive an abortion, then you can’t hire someone else to do it for you, can you? Or ask someone to do it for you? That would be sin.

In the Bible, David ordered his general, Joab, to put Uriah at the forefront of battle and withdraw the troops from him so that he would be killed. David didn’t personally kill Uriah; the enemy troops did. But David was guilty of this murder, because he procured representatives to perform it on his behalf.

Bill Clinton did not commit adultery on your behalf. But he did pass laws on your behalf, and those laws affected people around you. Similarly with George W. Bush.

At the moment, I’m refusing to vote because the power delegated in voting inherently allows my representatives to do some things on my behalf that I believe are sinful. Even if they promise not to do those things, I do not believe there is anyone I can trust not to. I’ll still submit to whatever government God appoints through the votes of everybody else.

 

[1ke]

Do Catholics “have to be” pro-life?

Yes. Abortion is a grave sin against the fifth commandment.

A question in today’s “Ask an Apologist” brought this to mind. Is it a sin to vote for someone who is pro-choice? If so, what sin is it?

This question does not have a “yes” or “no” answer. In general, Catholics have an obligation to put the most important and critical tenets of the Faith first and foremost when informing their voting options. We have an obligation to defend life and reject evil.

Therefore, if there is Candidate A who will endorse unrestricted abortion and Candidate B who is pro-life, this consideration should come before Candidate A’s stance on… say… the Transportation Bill…

If both Candidate A and B are in favor of legalized abortion, but one has a more restrictive stance it is accpetable to choose the lesser of the two evils.

I suggest you obtain a copy of Catholic Answer’s Voter’s Guide. It gives good moral guidance on this topic.

I don’t know if the politician would be sinning by casting pro-choice votes, but why would I be culpable for his sin?

You definitely could be culpable if you voted for him knowing that he would enact legislation that would lead directly to the killing of children. YOU had a hand in putting him in office if you voted for him.

I’m not culpable of Bill Clinton’s adultery, even if I had voted for him, right?

Bill Clinton did not run for the Presidency on the Adultery Platform. You could not know he would commit this sin.

However, he did run for office on the Pro-Abortion Platform so you could reasonably know that he would veto the partial birth abortion bill, enact government funding for abortions, and enact the FACE Act. Therefore, yes, you do have culpability in these acts.