Why does the Church allow some Catholic politicians and other Catholics who are professed pro-choice advocates to continue to call themselves “pro-choice Catholics”?
The Church doesn’t regulate what people may call themselves; the Church’s concern is to teach the doctrine and morality of the Church. There are a couple of things to keep in mind here:
In political jargon, “pro-choice” is an inaccurate euphemism used to disguise abortion advocacy. Literally speaking though, to be “pro-choice” simply means to be for choice, or for the freedom to choose. The Church does not dispute anyone’s right to choose, per se, assuming that the choice is for something either morally good or morally neutral; what the Church disputes is the idea that anyone has a right to choose to murder a human being, which is a morally evil choice. It would be more accurate for someone who advocates for abortion to be called “pro-abortion” than “pro-choice.”
If someone is a baptized member of the Catholic Church, he is a Catholic, no matter how well or how poorly he lives out his Catholic faith. While we may be rightfully angered that a Catholic who advocates for moral evils such as abortion is presenting himself as a “good Catholic,” we should not deny that he indeed is a Catholic (although we can deny that he is a “good” Catholic).
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