Election question

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Kathrin

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Assume your country holds election on a local level, and there are many different parties.
There are some political questions that are important to you, let’s say you want to vote for the party that protects vulnerable groups, that thinks socially, that isn’t so hard on immigrants.
Ok so you’d know which parties you could vote for and which definitely not. Because you agree with them and you’d hope they make it.

But then, on the national level, these same in other aspects “good” parties have been tending towards pro-choice in terms of abortion… so what do you do??? Not vote at all??? Vote “empty” (this is an option here, kind of like declaring that you don’t like any of the suggestions I assume?).

Would you say it is morally wrong to vote for somebody who is in a party that has been pro-choice?
Ahh this is getting complicated.

There are also Christian parties but voting for them might weaking the social parties.
There is a Christian party that is Protestant. Can I vote, as a Catholic, for a Protestant party?
 
Kathrin said:
Assume your country holds election on a local level, and there are many different parties.
There are some political questions that are important to you, let’s say you want to vote for the party that protects vulnerable groups, that thinks socially, that isn’t so hard on immigrants.
Ok so you’d know which parties you could vote for and which definitely not. Because you agree with them and you’d hope they make it.

But then, on the national level, these same in other aspects “good” parties have been tending towards pro-choice in terms of abortion… so what do you do??? Not vote at all??? Vote “empty” (this is an option here, kind of like declaring that you don’t like any of the suggestions I assume?).

Would you say it is morally wrong to vote for somebody who is in a party that has been pro-choice?
Ahh this is getting complicated.

There are also Christian parties but voting for them might weaking the social parties.
There is a Christian party that is Protestant. Can I vote, as a Catholic, for a Protestant party?
Click to expand...
You cannot vote for a politician who defends abortion. You could, however, vote for a politician who wants to limit abortion while maintain its legality. For example, in the US, the Democratic Party platform is solidly pro-abortion while the Republic Party platform favors restricted, but still legal, abortions. Now, as Catholics (that is, as decent human beings), we must be opposed to abortion in all circumstances – we can’t pull the “I’m against abortion, except…” line that politicians like to use.

There is no other issue that would outweigh abortion. You can’t say “Well, but I think candidate X’s policies will really benefit the economy in my region/country” because the legalized murder of an entire generation of children far outweighs any economic policy. You don’t have to vote for the candidate who has the absolute strongest stance against abortion if there are other reasons not to vote for them or if they have very little chance of winning (although I’m happy to vote for third-parties who have no chance of winning and did in the last US Presidential election because I couldn’t stomach either of the top two candidates). For example, you don’t have to vote for Le Pen (who strongly opposes abortion) and it would seem silly to do so if you were pro-immigration but neither can you vote for those on the Left if they support and defend abortion.
 
Kathrin said:
Assume your country holds election on a local level, and there are many different parties.
There are some political questions that are important to you, let’s say you want to vote for the party that protects vulnerable groups, that thinks socially, that isn’t so hard on immigrants.
Ok so you’d know which parties you could vote for and which definitely not. Because you agree with them and you’d hope they make it.

But then, on the national level, these same in other aspects “good” parties have been tending towards pro-choice in terms of abortion… so what do you do??? Not vote at all??? Vote “empty” (this is an option here, kind of like declaring that you don’t like any of the suggestions I assume?).

Would you say it is morally wrong to vote for somebody who is in a party that has been pro-choice?
Ahh this is getting complicated.

There are also Christian parties but voting for them might weaking the social parties.
There is a Christian party that is Protestant. Can I vote, as a Catholic, for a Protestant party?
Click to expand...
It’s difficult to vote for the right, they seem to be pro-life in name only. And once life happens, they don’t seem to care about it, they do not “protect vulnerable groups, think socially and do not care about the plight of the immigrant as human beings”. Money and power are their driving force (but this includes most politians). Healthcare has needed reform for quite some time and the only ones that have tackled it, to the benefit of many needy groups, ie those with pre-existing conditions, have been torn to pieces (based on scare tactics). I personally have not heard a plea for prayer for those who favor pro-choice to turn to life so that both sides may truely please our Creator.

Jesus loved children, the poor, the hungry, the marginal, the mentally and spiritually ill, these need to be assisted by all parties. I look at politics and reflect on the Gospels, it saddens me.

I may not be very eloquent or knowledgable but I do believe that we should all follow the lessons our Creator has left in His Word, and “Love God and our neighbor as ourselves”.
 
Voting really is a difficult obligation. It is such an awesome power, but it is never simple, is it?

I will respond to what seems to me to be the easiest of your questions first. I do not see why you cannot vote for a protestant party, assuming their political beliefs align with your own and they are not anti-Catholic.

As to the rest, it is the source of much debate here in the United States. Our bishops articulated some helpful advice on voting, which you may find helpful. Has yours advised at all? He will understand your local issues.
usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/FCStatement.pdf

I have to say, your issues sound very like the ones we face here with out two party system, and that is interesting to me. Catholics here argue all the time about whether or not it is ever moral to vote for a Democrat (our liberal party- tends to be opposed to war, against capital punishment, supportive of poor and immigrants etc…) because the party supports abortion rights.

What our bishops said is that you cannot vote to support intrinsic evil. (I believe it is page eight of the document I cited above.) That is, there are certain issues which good Catholics cannot disagree on, like abortion and euthanasia. The position has more nuance than some would like to state. You cannot vote to support these things ever. That means you cannot vote for a pro-choice politician for his position on abortion. If you vote for him, you must believe that other issues outweigh that one. That is a difficult argument to make, but it leaves you some leeway. If, for instance, you do not have a anti-abortion candidate to support, you do not have to abstain. Or, if abortion is not an issue in that particular election (because whatever the position is, he will have no say on the issue- he could not reduce abortions even if he wanted to.) you can support someone for other reasons.

Ultimately, you will have to inform yourself as best you can, and in prayer, make the best decision you can. I struggle with nearly every election here for the reasons you have stated.
 
I forgot to say that,
abortion really ISN’T an “issue” here, politically, right now.
There are so many candidates who might become a seat in the local government, and since abortion isn’t an issue, it would be very difficult to find out who is for and who is against it.
I could go by the party, of course, but I don’t like to vote for a rightwing party.
I found one candidate in a Christian party that SEEMS to have similar values as me too, in other issues.
I might put his name.
I might just talk to a priest about this first.
 
Beth_Cecilia said:
Voting really is a difficult obligation. It is such an awesome power, but it is never simple, is it?

I will respond to what seems to me to be the easiest of your questions first. I do not see why you cannot vote for a protestant party, assuming their political beliefs align with your own and they are not anti-Catholic.

As to the rest, it is the source of much debate here in the United States. Our bishops articulated some helpful advice on voting, which you may find helpful. Has yours advised at all? He will understand your local issues.
usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/FCStatement.pdf

I have to say, your issues sound very like the ones we face here with out two party system, and that is interesting to me. Catholics here argue all the time about whether or not it is ever moral to vote for a Democrat (our liberal party- tends to be opposed to war, against capital punishment, supportive of poor and immigrants etc…) because the party supports abortion rights.

What our bishops said is that you cannot vote to support intrinsic evil. (I believe it is page eight of the document I cited above.) That is, there are certain issues which good Catholics cannot disagree on, like abortion and euthanasia. The position has more nuance than some would like to state. You cannot vote to support these things ever. That means you cannot vote for a pro-choice politician for his position on abortion. If you vote for him, you must believe that other issues outweigh that one. That is a difficult argument to make, but it leaves you some leeway. If, for instance, you do not have a anti-abortion candidate to support, you do not have to abstain. Or, if abortion is not an issue in that particular election (because whatever the position is, he will have no say on the issue- he could not reduce abortions even if he wanted to.) you can support someone for other reasons.

Ultimately, you will have to inform yourself as best you can, and in prayer, make the best decision you can. I struggle with nearly every election here for the reasons you have stated.
Click to expand...
The problem is that abortion is an issue in every election(albeit not the most important)presidential and will remain so until it is finally outlawed.Therefore I understand that you have to vote for the most pro-choice candidate regardless of what his views are on other issues.One thing you’ll notice is that the rep.party who claims to be pro-life doesnt real make much of an issue out of it.Actually what there really doing(which is better than nothing)is just opposing the dems.And a lot of it boils down to the fact that they see it as a government program and their against(big government)on any issue.
 
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