Voting for abortion?
In the recent mid-term elections, many were elected who believe that it’s okay to kill unborn people. Of course, they don’t say it that way. Instead, they say something more innocuous sounding, like “I support a woman’s right to make decisions as regards her own body.”
Some of those who voted for these individuals say they don’t support legalized abortion, but then go on to justify their vote by saying that their candidate will do more to help the poor, and that his proposals to rectify other social problems and injustices more than compensate for his position on abortion. They often say, “A person shouldn’t be a single issue voter!”
Why not? If that single issue pertains to preserving a fundamental human right, the right to life, without which all other “rights” are moot, then a person should be a single issue voter.
Imagine if a candidate said, “I support legislation that will legalize the killing of the physically or mentally incurable, or people of this class or that race.” Then imagine that the same candidate supported legislation that would help the homeless, the unemployed or direct more funding for those who were medically curable… Wouldn’t the “single issue” of legalized killing eclipse all the others? How many people, given the choice between homelessness, joblessness, or the inability to afford healthcare would instead choose death? Don’t the unborn need a home, healthcare and someone to stand up for their fundamental right to life? How is sanctioning their deaths an example of being “welcoming” and “tolerant”?
Does anyone seriously believe that by electing those who proudly proclaim their belief that it’s okay to kill unborn people we’ll achieve a more peaceful and just society? To quote Mother Teresa: “Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love one another, but to use violence to get what they want… the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.” We are already experiencing deterioration in trust and civility, and increasing violence, which, unchecked, will result in a capricious, murderous, totalitarian government. As the ex-Communist Arthur Koestler wrote in his 1940 novel Darkness at Noon: “No, one can’t build Paradise with concrete.”
Years ago, presidential candidate Ronald Reagan said “With me, abortion is not a problem of religion; it’s a problem of the Constitution. I believe that until and unless someone can establish that the unborn child is not a living human being, then that child is already protected by the Constitution, which guarantees life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all of us.” The recent hearing on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh demonstrated his interrogators’ fear that Ronald Reagan just might be right, that Kavanaugh will rule that the unborn child is protected by the Constitution. This was the unstated sine qua non guiding the votes of those who opposed him.
Justices on the Supreme Court continue to find ways to “re-interpret” the Constitution to mean the opposite of what it says, and will continue to do so unless we revivify the culture. The late professor of jurisprudence, Dr. Charles Rice, wrote in his book Contraception and Persecution, “No charter of government can survive the erosion of the culture that gave it birth.” That culture is Christian culture, and more specifically, Catholic culture. None of this is to demonize women who have had an abortion. It’s hard to know what one would have done, or would do, in similar circumstances, especially if it was legal. Many of us have committed our own grave sins and hope that others will love us despite these sins, just as we love them.
At St. Michael Broadcasting, we will continue to ardently protest the injustice done the unborn, while we also work to create a virtuous culture, a “nation under God,” that recognizes the inalienable “right to life” mentioned in the Declaration, where women no longer see abortion as a desirable or moral option.
Please continue to support St. Michael Broadcasting by telling others, by offering to volunteer (especially if you’re familiar with computers or filming), through your prayers, and financial support if possible.
Viva Christo Rey!
Michael Bird, President and volunteer