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Are we really Pro-Life?
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By Claire Henline
Op/Ed
Over the last several weeks I have watched at nauseum TV pundits explain the "Catholic" vote. There's nothing better than listening to non-Catholics try to act like experts on Catholicism. They usually boil it down to one issue - abortion. Is this all we have become? A sound byte? A static point in a dynamic election? A photo opportunity for a President who kicked off his 2000 election at a university that considers the Catholic Church to be a cult but who would now use us for his own political purpose?
We are the one holy, apostolic Church. We have many charities and outreach programs that touch the sick, the poor, the homeless, the afflicted. We have been active in generations of social work giving to and loving those whom Jesus challenged us to love. Why do we allow ourselves to be portrayed as easily swayed by a single issue and for a President who is not really PRO-LIFE? The Church says we must respect ALL life. This includes not only the life of the unborn, but also a death row inmate, an enemy combatant, a soldier off to war, the child stuck in the war zone, the parapalegic, and more.
If we are to allow our votes to be influenced by our articles of faith, then we CANNOT vote for George W. Bush. President Bush is pro-death penalty having stood watch over hundreds of executions as Governor of Texas. His own United Methodist Church is opposed to the death penalty. President Bush led the country into a war that even his own United Methodist Church spoke out against. President Bush has denied further funds for research that could go towards possible treatment and cures for over 128 million people afflicted by illness, disease, and severe injury. This is not an abortion issue! It is a respect for life issue! That means we must respect ALL life. If a vote for one candidate becomes a sin, a vote for the other is an equal venial.
The 2004 election will be one of the most important Presidential elections in decades. Issues such as war, jobs, health care, education, the environment, and of course national security concerns that will shape our future and our children's future are at stake. These are all issues in which Catholics have played a huge role in the past. Why do we allow ourselves to be painted with a broad brush as concerned with a singular issue? There are many lives at stake this November 2, not just those of the unborn. Are we really being Pro-Life?
Contact
Claire Henline
VA, US
Claire Henline - Author,
pentagonbrat@yahoo.com
Keywords
Election, Pro-Life, Politics, President, Catholic
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