Mortal Sin for Pro-Abortion Candidates?

[Cory_G]

I was discussion in another topic (forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=4436636#post4436636?rd=) about whether or not a politician should be denied the Eurcrhist for being pro-abortion.

I am posting here, because it appears to me this is a “Is it a sin?” type of question. We know it is a mortal sin to have an abortion. And you must repent by going to confession to be absolved from a mortal sin prior to receiving the Eucharist. So this leaves me with two questions.

1. Is it a mortal sin for a politician to endorse abortion without having an abortion themselves?

If we suggest that it is a mortal sin because the politician promoted the abortion and thus has a hand in the abortion act,

1. can we extend by the same reasoning that anyone who helped elect that politician, providing that they knew the politician would help abortions, be guilty of the same mortal sin?

 

[Robbinson]

I was discussion in another topic (forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=4436636#post4436636?rd=) about whether or not a politician should be denied the Eurcrhist for being pro-abortion.

I am posting here, because it appears to me this is a “Is it a sin?” type of question. We know it is a mortal sin to have an abortion. And you must repent by going to confession to be absolved from a mortal sin prior to receiving the Eucharist. So this leaves me with two questions.

1. Is it a mortal sin for a politician to endorse abortion without having an abortion themselves?

If we suggest that it is a mortal sin because the politician promoted the abortion and thus has a hand in the abortion act,

1. can we extend by the same reasoning that anyone who helped elect that politician, providing that they knew the politician would help abortions, be guilty of the same mortal sin?

Its difficult to determine whether its a mortal sin (at least as a general proposition) because mortal sin is so dependent on the knowledge and intent of the person involved.

I’d say that if someone was fully informed, understood the issue clearly and, given the choice of a pro-life candidate or a pro-choice candidate, voted pro-choice, that is a very serious issue - one which we all (any who make that choice) will need ot reflect upon and think about. The image of the 1.5million unborn children who killed each year through reported abortions (the actual numbers I’m sure are much, much higher) pains me in my heart. I’m convinced that those Catholics who make this choice (pro-choice) just don’t fully appreciate the issue and so we all share part of the blame in failing to teach and inform our brothers and sisters in Christ.

My God have mercy on us all.

Blessings,

Brian

 

[migurl]

if you look it up on this site you will find postings that address this issue. According to Fr. Coropi, voting for a candidate who supports and intrinsicly evil act like abortion is to participate in that support and therefore a mortal sin (if you do it knowingly and willfully anyways) THere is a you tube video he did talking about it.

 

[Holly3278]

I personally prefer to leave such decisions up to the bishops. However, I am an opinionated person so here is my opinion which may or may not be accurate with what the Magisterium may or may not officially declare in the future.

I personally believe that if you have a politician who is a Catholic but who is also even slightly pro-abortion, they should be *denied *the Holy Eucharist and excommunication should be *seriously *considered in certain cases. This is not necessarily to punish them but to bring them to repentance.

I am sorry if my post comes across as a little bit harsh but I am just not too fond of cafeteria Catholics, especially when that cafeteria Catholic happens to influence public policy.

 

[Cory_G]

I personally prefer to leave such decisions up to the bishops. However, I am an opinionated person so here is my opinion which may or may not be accurate with what the Magisterium may or may not officially declare in the future.

I personally believe that if you have a politician who is a Catholic but who is also even slightly pro-abortion, they should be *denied *the Holy Eucharist and excommunication should be *seriously *considered in certain cases. This is not necessarily to punish them but to bring them to repentance.

I am sorry if my post comes across as a little bit harsh but I am just not too fond of cafeteria Catholics, especially when that cafeteria Catholic happens to influence public policy.

From the discussions, and from a quote from the Pope, which was in the other thread, it appears the Pope agrees with you 100%.

 

[Ruthie]

**2272 **Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life.

What is formal cooperation? I couldn’t find anything in the CCC to help on that. There are a couple of webpages on medical ethics that talk about it, but I can’t find any “official” documents that define the kinds of cooperation. I’m sure they exist somewhere… I do remember reading about them, though.

So this is filtered through my often unreliable memory:

Formal cooperation in abortion includes:
The person who receives the abortion, as long as they were not coerced or seriously misled.
The person who coerces the recipient into aborting.
The person who directly pays for the abortion.
The person who performs the abortion.

The legislator who votes to legalize abortion is probably formally cooperating. The one who votes to provide greater access to abortion may be cooperating formally, or materially. Both are bad, but (IIRC) only formal cooperation incurs automatic excommunication.

The Bishops have said that voting for a pro-abortion candidate is only sinful if you vote for them specifically because they are pro-abort. I.e. because you want abortions to happen, for whatever reason.

I have seen several posters justify voting for a pro-abort candidate because they believe two things: that the candidate’s other proposals will support life in other ways, and because the other candidate will not be able to change anything, no matter how pro-life his beliefs are. While I may think such people are in serious denial, I don’t think they are sinning in any way.

God bless us all,

Ruthie (busy looking for planks in her eyes)
(no pun intended)

 

[onmyquest]

It is mortal sin. First let me say I am trying to become Catholic but I must first cleanse myself of two sins that I believe were brought about by both Protestants and Catholics who think THEIR “openness” to secularization does not hurt anyone. IT DOES. Through your actions of calling yourself Christian, but then not defending God’s word, you are in mortal sin. By the grace of God, I have freed myself from public education indoctrination. Although I always believed deeply in God, I was blinded by those policies set forth by people like Pelosi and not fully understanding what the actions fully amounted to. So, it is like Pelosi thinking she can remain SIN FREE even though her policies makes other people sin by being blinded by the message sent by Satan. This is the worst sin I believe. Not upholding Christian and Church teachings based on the assumption of “CHOICE” yet letting those people influenced by your public policy fall into HELL.

When is the Church going to excommunicate these people publicly, since these people have made sin public? A child indoctrinated (your in a classroom all day being brain-washed and no parents around) deserves better from the Church. I wish the bishops were more vocal about sin when I was young.

So, HERE IS THE BIBLE PASSAGE THAT ADDRESSES YOUR QUESTION: Mark 9:42.

And so Jesus said:

“And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.”

And:
"While I may think such people are in serious denial, I don’t think they are sinning in any way. "

Denial IMPLIES they know the truth. So, again, yes, they sin.