Last week, I wrote about Bishop Robert Hermann’s edict that Catholics put aside other considerations and vote single-mindedly for the candidate “less permissive of abortion.”
Yesterday, my wife shared an email from a Catholic friend of ours, one of many such emails my wife has received in the last couple of weeks. The subject line of this most recent email was a question: “Supporter of A New Holocaust?” The effective message echoed Bishop Hermann’s edict, i.e., a vote for Obama is a vote for mass murder.
While my wife and I respect this friend’s right to disagree with us on the issues, we are both frustrated by the pattern that this friend’s email represents — a pattern of otherwise, good and smart people who apply an abortion litmus test to this election and refuse to consider the moral weight of other aspects of the presidential candidates’ persons and positions.
And that is why we were impressed with another friend of ours, who received the same, abortion-centric email and replied to it as follows, below the fold. I recommend this friends’ reply as a model for others who are bombarded and frustrated by email (or other mail) that takes a similar, far-too-narrow view of this election.
I hope you and your family are doing well!
While I certainly support and affirm your anti-abortion stance, I cannot in good conscience vote for John McCain, a man who has a personal life history filled with immoral choices. The Catholic Bishops in their “Forming Conscience for a Faithful Citizenship” statement give us permission to choose a pro-choice candidate when the pro-life candidate is morally inferior in an overall sense … I think it is dangerous for Catholics to give (McCain) a rubber stamp based on his stance on one issue, especially when his personal life (a measure of true character) has been so immoral. Instead, I support a man who has lived as a faithful husband, a good father and Christian, who promises to end an immoral war (which the Catholic Church has condemned) and to help the poor and disadvantaged and to end terrorism by encouraging dialogue and understanding, two valuable Christian principles.
A prominent Catholic theologian I heard interviewed on the radio this week had research that supported voting for Obama would reduce the number of abortions because his policies would provide affordable health care and family planning services, thus reducing the need for abortions. While I was in grad school at Wash U, I did a research paper on unplanned pregnancies and I learned that women who seek higher education and have a way out of poverty avoid unwanted pregnancies. Barack Obama’s policies will help to reduce poverty, increase access to education, and as a result, reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions.
In anticipation of making this difficult choice, I have read about the two candidates extensively in as unbiased of media sources as I could find. I have evaluated their voting records. I consulted with a family member (who is a devout Republican) who has worked directly with Senator McCain. Finally, I have consulted with a valued member of the clergy whom I trust. So, I am at peace with my decision.