Against Abortion, But Pro-Choice?

CERC ^ | 2003 | FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS

[Coleus]

Sometimes I have met Catholics — especially where I work — who say, "I am personally against abortion, but I am pro-choice." To me, that makes no sense, but how can I argue with them?

---

The pro-abortion movement has made great gains using the "pro-choice" label. First, the "pro-choice" label numbs our moral sensitivity because its masks that anyone really is for abortion, ignores scientific and medical evidence and diverts attention from the act itself. Secondly, the idea of being "pro-choice" seems to appeal to Americans who cherish freedom and the idea of being free to choose rather than being forced to do anything.

In arguing against this "pro-choice" position, one must first focus on the heart of the choice — a child. Proceeding from a purely, scientific approach, we know that when conception occurs, a new and unique human being is created. The DNA genetic code attests to this uniqueness. (Why else has DNA coding become so important in identifying criminals?) Moreover, from that moment of conception, the child continues to develop and to grow; the child is born, matures to adolescence and then adulthood and eventually dies. Note though that this is all the same person who was conceived: all that has been added is nourishment, time and hopefully a lot of love. Therefore, our Church teaches, "From the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor of the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already" (Declaration on Procured Abortion, no. 12, 1974).

For further information, please check the Nov. 11, 2002 issue of Time entitled, "Inside the Womb: An Amazing Look at How We All Began; The Latest Science on How Healthy Babies Are Born." Also the video and book under the same title, The Miracle of Life, are also excellent resources.

Interestingly, this past Fall, General Electric had a commercial showing the new technology/photography they developed enabling doctors to see clearly and in color the baby developing inside the womb of the mother. This new technology far surpasses that of ultrasound. When I first saw the commercial, I said, A Seeing this, how could anyone be for abortion?" The commercial had an impact: Planned Parenthood and the Abortion Rights Action League lobbied General Electric so much that they removed the commercial from television.

Moving beyond science to the level of faith, we also believe that almighty God creates and infuses an unique and immortal soul into that body. This soul — our spiritual principle — is what gives each person that identity of being made in God's image and likeness. (Cf. Catechism, no. 363-368). Even if there were some doubt that God infused the soul at conception or some doubt that the conceived child were truly a person, "it is objectively a grave sin to dare to risk murder. ' The one who will be a man is already one' " (Declaration, no. 13).

We find in Sacred Scripture testimony to the sanctity of life in the womb: The Lord said to the mother of Sampson, "As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb!" (Jgs 13:5). Job said, "Did not he who made me in the womb make him? Did not the same One fashion us before our birth?" (Jb 31:15). In Psalm 139:13, we pray, "Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb." The Lord spoke to Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you" (Jer 1:5).

For Christians the sanctity of life in the womb and the belief that this truly is a person is further corroborated by the incarnation: Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ true God entered this world becoming also true man. Even though Jesus was still in the womb of His blessed mother, St. Elizabeth and St. John the Baptist, also in the womb, rejoiced at the presence of the Lord. Would anyone dare suggest Jesus was not a person in the womb of His mother? Little wonder in the Didache (The Teachings of the Twelve Apostles) — the first manual of doctrine, liturgical laws, and morals written about the year AD 80 — we find the moral prohibition, "You shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb and you shall not murder the infant already born."

Given that the heart of the choice involves an unique, human person, the choice of action becomes clear: to preserve and safeguard the life of this person in the womb or to destroy it. Since this is a person, the latter choice does not involve simply a termination of a pregnancy or the removal of a fetus; rather, the latter choice involves a direct killing of an innocent person, a deliberate murder. Therefore, the act of abortion is an intrinsically evil act. The Second Vatican Council asserted, "Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes" (Gaudium et Spes, no. 51).

We do not have the right to choose evil, no matter what the circumstances are or even if some sort of "good" may arise. To purposefully choose to do evil is an affront to God Himself, in whose image and likeness we are made. In the "pro-choice position," one is not choosing between two good actions; instead, one is turning a blind eye to the objectively evil action of abortion and pretending that it is on the same moral standing as protecting the child in the womb. To say one is "pro-choice" in this matter is no different than saying one is "pro-choice" for apartheid, Nazi concentration camps, or Jim Crow segregation laws — "I am personally against it, but everybody should choose." Of course, the person who does not get to choose in any of these cases in the one society has deemed dispensable, disposable and unworthy of life.

Pope John Paul II stated, " Anyone can see that the alternative here is only apparent. It is not possible to speak of the right to choose when a clear moral evil is involved, when what is at stake is the commandment, "Do not kill! " (Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 205). Christians must continue to defend the sanctity of human life in the face of this insidious pro-choice argument. To be A pro-life" is not to impose one' s values on another; rather, to be "pro-life" is to uphold the truth of God and the dignity of every human being, born or unborn.

In those difficult, tragic situations — rape and incest (which result in conception at best 2% of the time depending upon which set of statistics one looks at), a young teenage pregnant mother, or a deformed or handicapped child — we must remember the child is still an innocent human being who through no fault of his own was conceived. Here sharing in the cross of our Lord becomes a reality without question. In these cases, we as members of the Church must support both the mother and the child through our prayers and by opening our hearts, homes and wallets to their needs. We must make the sacrifice to preserve human life.

In Fall, 2001, Bishop Loverde issued a letter to mark Respect Life Sunday in which he taught, A To be a faithful and serious Catholic necessarily means that one is pro-life and not pro-choice. To be pro-choice essentially means supporting the right of a woman to terminate the life of her baby, either pre-born or partially born. No Catholic can claim to be a faithful and serious member of the Church while advocating for or actively supporting direct attacks on innocent human life. Moreover, protecting human life from conception until natural death is more than a Catholic issue. It is an issue of fundamental morality, rooted in both the natural and divine law."

[Coleus]

PERSONALLY AGAINST ABORTION, BUT STILL PRO-CHOICE

 

U.S. bishops issue strong retort to Catholic Democrats' conscience statement

A Catholic Responds to “the Statement of Principles By Fifty-Five Catholic Democrats in the House"

House Democrats issue 'Statement of Catholic Principles'[new info here]

Unprincipled Statement: 55 House Democrats have religious issues.

Catholic House Democrats Beg to Dissent from Church Teaching on Abortion

Pro-abortion, nominally-Catholic politicians think they are above the law

[wagglebee]

"I am personally against abortion, but I am pro-choice."

That is the same as saying, "I wouldn't murder anybody, but it's okay with me if others commit murder." It doesn't work and it is NOT A MORALLY DEFENSIBLE POSITION!

[Coleus]

That is the same as saying, "I wouldn't murder anybody, but it's okay with me if others commit murder." It doesn't work and it is NOT A MORALLY DEFENSIBLE POSITION! >>>


you can fill in the blanks with any crime, it's all immoral including abortion. Can't the democrats understand?

"I wouldn't _______ anybody, but.....

[wagglebee]

However, the 'Rats are so eager to get votes and remain in power, that they refuse to openly exclude anybody (except conservative Christians whom they disregard as "fanatical" and "bigoted").

[Notwithstanding]

ABORTION: Granholm blasted for her pro-choice views

Catholic protesters say church must speak out
September 2, 2002






BY KATHLEEN GRAY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER




Catholic Church leaders have always spoken out against abortion, but now they're being asked to speak out against one of the flock -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Granholm -- because of her very public views on abortion.

It's a challenge for a church that has a significant number of parishioners who believe abortion should remain legal in at least some circumstances.

Granholm, the state's attorney general, belongs to Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Plymouth. For months, abortion opponents have greeted parishioners with graphic signs condemning her.

In campaign appearances, Granholm describes herself as "100-percent pro-choice." While she has said she is personally opposed to abortion, she also doesn't believe in imposing those views on others.

Protesters can't reconcile that.

"Jennifer Granholm running as a pro-choice Catholic is inconsistent with the teachings of the church," said Suzanne Housey, 24, of Ann Arbor, one of about 20 protesters at the church on Sunday.

"The church has never said anything regarding Granholm, and they should condemn her position," added Robert Klucik, 35, of Ann Arbor.

Protesters backed up that demand with protests at Cardinal Adam Maida's home and church in Detroit during the weekend. Some have even called on church leaders to kick her out of the fold.

In response to the latest series of protests, church leaders have reiterated their opposition to abortion and urged Catholics to seriously consider a candidate's stance on issues like abortion before voting. Although some church leaders have suggested punishing Catholics who are abortion rights advocates, it has never become official church policy. And they have not spoken directly about Granholm.

"There are a fair number of Democratic party officials who are Catholics and pro-choice at a time when the church has been mobilizing against abortion," said John Green, a political science professor at the University of Akron in Ohio who also specializes in religion and politics. "But one of the issues debated in the church hierarchy is, why single out officeholders when there are so many pro-choice Catholics out there?"

In three different national polls taken since 1999, 30 percent to 50 percent of Catholics questioned about abortion said they believe abortion should remain legal in at least some circumstances. A Gallup poll done for CNN and USA Today in 1999 showed 50 percent of Catholics considered themselves abortion rights advocates while 46 percent said they opposed abortion.

At a time of unparalleled crisis in the Catholic Church in light of sex abuse scandals, the church can ill afford to alienate a large percentage of its members.

"If the Catholic Church were to kick out every pro-choice person or politician, the pews would be empty," said Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for Free Choice, a Washington-based advocacy group.

But over the years, the church has done more to make it uncomfortable for Catholics who support abortion rights.

In the Alberta, Canada, city of Medicine Hat last week, a Catholic church canceled the wedding of a woman who works for Planned Parenthood and who had been quoted in a local newspaper supporting abortion rights. The bishop of Alberta is now threatening to excommunicate the woman from the church.

In 1983, Agnes Mansour was forced by the church to choose between leaving the Sisters of Mercy or keeping her job as the director of the Michigan Department of Social Services, which at the time administered Medicaid-funded abortions. She left her vocation, but remained a practicing Catholic.

And in California, the church refused to administer the sacraments to former state Sen. Lucy Killea after the Democrat declared herself opposed to abortion, but unwilling to force those beliefs on others.

"Excommunication is extremely rare, but there is a tremendous amount of pressure put on pro-choice Catholic officeholders," Green said. "Some have been very severely sanctioned. Some have been prohibited from attending mass. And to deny a Catholic the sacraments is almost as bad as excommunication."

In Granholm's case, excommunication will not happen, said Ned McGrath, spokesman for the diocese. "It's not something the church just throws around," he said last week.

As for the protesters, Richard Laskos, another spokesman for the archdiocese, said they should channel their energy toward working for a candidate they agree with rather than waging a negative campaign against one they don't.

Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus, the Republican candidate for governor, opposes abortion, but has nothing to do with the protests at Granholm's church, said Sage Eastman, a spokesman for the Posthumus campaign.

No matter how they feel about abortion, parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel agreed the protesters have every right to picket the church. But many were upset with the photos of aborted fetuses that were on display.

"The images are kind of hard to explain to the kids," said Sean Furlong, 36, of Plymouth as he was leaving Sunday services with his wife and three children.

Dan Mulhern, Granholm's husband, passed out a letter to parishioners last month apologizing for the disruption to services. The Granholm campaign said the protesters have the right to make their views known.

"But interfering with the operations of the church shows very poor judgment on their part," said Chris DeWitt, spokesman for the campaign. "There will be groups in the Catholic Church who will oppose her because of her stand, but she's also not the only Catholic who believes that."

Klucik said he's ready to leave the weekly protests behind as soon as Maida condemns Granholm.

[Notwithstanding]

Source URL: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/sep/02091104.html



LifeSiteNews.com
Wednesday September 11, 2002


CARDINAL INSPIRES STUDENTS TO CONFRONT PRO-ABORTION 'CATHOLIC' CANDIDATE
ANN ARBOR, MI, September 11, 2002 (LSN.ca) - A pro-life homily delivered by Cardinal Adam Maida at the opening of the school year at Ave Maria Law School has inspired pro-life political activism. A group of students from the Law School attended a meet-and-greet pancake breakfast Saturday where Michigan gubernatorial candidates Jennifer Granholm and opponent Dick Posthumus were to shake hands and discuss issues with hundreds of voters.

Their goal was to meet Granholm face to face and challenge her strong support for abortion since she bills herself as a practicing 'Catholic.' Unlike her opponent, Granholm left the event after her brief turn at the griddle, breaking protocol for candidates who attend this annual event. Granholm offered a short, impersonal, response as her entourage hastily shuffled her away as it was evident that a sizeable contingent of the participants were pro-lifers.

One of the student's shirt bore the message "Granholm: Catholic? Pro-abortion-murder? Which is she?" and another shirt asked "If Granholm lies about her religion, how can we trust her as Governor?"

Student Suzanne Housey said she was asking "Granholm to either stop masquerading as a Catholic, or stop advocating this unspeakable crime as good public policy." When asked how she could make such a serious charge against Granholm, Housey noted that she is only repeating the official teaching of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding abortion: "No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life." (Gotta love those pro-life lawyers-to-be!)

In his August 30 homily Cardinal Maida said: "In our culture today, a Catholic school of law has a particular challenge in trying to ensure that all laws truly promote the dignity of human life, from the first moment of conception until last natural breath . . . the Church and Catholic lawyers must be always ready to speak and act in such a way that the dignity of life is promoted and defended on every level."

See the Cardinal's homily and the US Bishops Statement
http://www.avemarialaw.edu/news/fullView.cfm?newsid=476&pyea...
http://www.usccb.org/prolife/gospel.htm

[Supernatural]

Realize that only a moron would make such a statement. Probably a misguided female.

[VeritatisSplendor]

A moron like Mario Cuomo, the intellectual light of the democrats and the "thinking" Catholics? He was the one who lent this position a gloss of respectability.

Mrs VS

[Muzzle_em]

that is a precious photo

[Dionysiusdecordealcis]

From Robert P. George, professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University:

"I am personally opposed to killing abortionists. However, inasmuch as my personal opposition to this practice is rooted in a sectarian (Catholic) religious belief in the sanctity of human life, I am unwilling to impose it on others who may, as a matter of conscience, take a different view. Of course, I am entirely in favor of policies aimed at removing the root causes of violence against abortionists. Indeed, I would go so far as to support mandatory one-week waiting periods, and even nonjudgmental counseling, for people who are contemplating the choice of killing an abortionist. I believe in policies that reduce the urgent need some people feel to kill abortionists while, at the same time, respecting the rights of conscience of my fellow citizens who believe that the killing of abortionists is sometimes a tragic necessity--not a good, but a lesser evil. In short, I am moderately pro-choice."

or

I am personally opposed to raping pre-pubescent boys and girls. However, inasmuch as my personal opposition to this practice is rooted in a sectarian (Catholic) religious belief in the sanctity of human life, I am unwilling to impose it on others who may, as a matter of conscience, take a different view. Of course, I am entirely in favor of policies aimed at removing the root causes of those who feel it necessary to rape boys or girls. Indeed, I would go so far as to support mandatory one-week waiting periods, and even nonjudgmental counseling, for people who are contemplating the choice of raping a boy or a girl. I believe in policies that reduce the urgent need some people feel to rape boys or girls, while, at the same time, respecting the rights of conscience of my fellow citizens who believe that the raping of boys or girls is sometimes a tragic necessity--not a good, but a lesser evil. In short, I am moderately pro-choice.

[Dionysiusdecordealcis]

Sorry, in my previous post when I modified the paragraph to substitute raping boys or girls, I forgot to take out "rooted in . . . religious belief about the sanctity of human life" and replace it with "rooted in . . . religious belief that rape is immoral."

Of course, the belief that rape (or killing innocent unborn) is not merely a religious belief but a universal belief that spans religions, but those who do the "personally opposed but others should have the choice to do it" trick deny that abortion is a matter of natural law and universal justice and, instead, say opposition to it is merely a "religious belief." That's why Robert George formulated it the way he did. I just forgot to finish the modification.

[AliVeritas]

Exactly... let them explain it to the Lord at judgement.

[sitetest]

Hey, I'm pro-choice, too.

Although I personally believe that they're human beings, and should be treated with full respect for their rights, not everyone agrees with me! Some folks even considers these not human beings but rather parasites feeding off the mother. I don't get that at all, but who am I to tell folks how to think?

Thus, folks who disagree with me about the humanity of these believe that it should be legal to "terminate" them. Doesn't make sense to me, but should I really push my morality on others??

Anyway, I'm all for the moral position of not killing abortionists, but in terms of law, so that I don't force my morality on others, I gotta go with pro-choice. We shouldn't impose our morality on others by making it illegal to kill abortionists.

Oh wait. I'm not sure that's what the "pro-choice" folks meant. Oops.

;-)


sitetest

[sitetest]

Dear Dionysiusdecordealcis,

Aw heck. You beat me to it.

That's what I get for not reading the whole thread, first.

;-)


sitetest

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Something very John Kerry about this....

[cgk]

Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping!

Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping list...

[Zack Nguyen]

"Personally against abortion, but still pro-choice."

Few things make me angrier than this rhetorical sleight-of-hand. It is cowardice, plain and simple. It is being partly responsible for the continued legalization of murder, yet attempting to assuage the conscience by this silly phrase that is completely meaningless.

Tell the truth, I say. Is it wrong or not? And if it is wrong for you, why are your babies worth more than a single mother's? Either a baby is dead or alive after abortion. Either you care about that or you don't.

I would rather a pro-choice politican come out and say they have no problem with abortion than try to snow me with phrases like the above.

God bless and be well.

[Lorianne]

They Bring Good Spin to Life: GE's televised promotion of the pro-life agenda.

http://www.prospect.org/print-friendly/webfeatures/2002/06/nisbet-m-06-14.html

...... GE showcasing new scientific advancements is annoying to pro-abortion people.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!