Numerous Catholic priests and bishops, in addition to everyday Americans, make one wonder based on their comments. According to these individuals, it is sinful to have voted for Barack Obama. A true Catholic should never, ever vote for someone who is pro-choice. John McCain is rarely if ever mentioned, but the message rings loud and clear.
Everyone knows someone who is ardently pro-life. It is easy to understand how vital the issue of abortion is to many people, and this is not meant to belittle them. Is is a matter of significant importance.
However, outside of asking Catholics to simply not vote at all, it is absurd and misinformed to demand that they not vote for a particular candidate.
Two terms as president for the allegedly pro-life George W. Bush, which included the appointment of two conservative Supreme Court justices and six years of Republican control of Congress, did not end abortion.
Electing John McCain president would not have done so either. There is no guarantee that McCain would have made overturning Roe v. Wade a focal point of his presidency, and even if he had he would have faced Democratic control of Congress.
Voting for a presidential candidate is not voting to end abortion. It is not nearly as black and white as people make it seem.
Detractors might argue that McCain would have appointed more conservative justices, and eventually Roe v. Wade would have been overturned. Anything is possible, but even if Roe v. Wade is someday overturned, abortion will not end. Women the country over will not instantly stop having them.
In addition, how do pro-life Catholics justify thousands upon thousands of dead Iraqi civilians? Are those lives not worth as much? One could legitimately argue that a vote for McCain was a vote for a prolonged war in Iraq and possibly more wars in the future. That means the loss of more innocent lives.
Civilians are still dying by the hundreds each and every month in Iraq. U.S. soldiers are still losing their lives as well. A war of choice started by a supposedly pro-life Republican president will result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives, including thousands of U.S. soldiers.
To those who say voting for Obama was sinful, was voting for McCain or Bush also sinful? How could it not be? How do you measure the difference in sanctity of life between an aborted fetus and a child massacred on the streets of Iraq? Is one more valuable than the other?
A president cannot magically put an end to abortion in America. It does not work that way. Championing a cause one believes in is noble, but not when it ignores all logic and reason. Pro-life Catholic voters might want to stop and ask themselves if they are in any position to condemn others based on who they voted for.
Do they believe they hold moral authority on this issue because they voted for a candidate who professes to be pro-life while fervently supporting a long and bloody war? Is simply voting for a candidate who claims to be pro-life all one should ponder when heading to the ballot box, as if nothing else matters at all?
If the Catholic Church answers yes to both of those questions, they might as well get it over with and declare themselves a proud wing of the Republican Party.
