Guest Opinion: Overturning Tables, Pro-Obama Catholics and Common Ground

LOS ANGELES, Ca. (Catholic Online) - On this website Professor Kmiec has expressed a desire to comply with Church teaching. In fact, he made various arguments on this site regarding why his approach of voting for a candidate who wanted to enshrine abortion as a fundamental right, pay for abortions, force insurance companies to pay for abortions and fund the creation and killing of millions of babies with embryonic stem cell research was in keeping with Catholic teaching. An effort that unfortunately was proven to be successful.

However, recently on slate.com, when speaking to a general audience, he revealed his true colors. When discussing his proposal of supporting a constitutional amendment that would recognize that human life begins at conception, but requiring that no government could pass legislation based on this fact without a super-majority he stated: "This is not the ideal Catholic position, but it's closer, and the Catholic Church has less standing to complain about a grant of freedom that could then be fairly influenced by the moral instruction associated with a woman's religious choice." (emphasis added).

With all due respect to Professor Kmiec, Holy Mother Church does not complain nor is Her teaching on the necessity for the legal protection of life a complaint. She teaches us how to live according to the will of Christ, our Lord. When her pastors tell us that �[t]he common good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to be born can be legally killed at choice� or that �[a] person who supports permissive abortion laws, however, rejects the truth that innocent human life may never be destroyed. This profound moral failure runs deeper and is more corrupting of the individual, and of the society, than any error in applying just war criteria to particular cases,� end of story.

Should there be any doubt, Pope Pius XII, Defender of Civilization, the visible head of God�s Church on earth could not have been any clearer: �[a] social teaching or a social reconstruction program which denies or prescinds from [the] internal essential relation to God of everything that regards men, is on a false course; and while it builds up with one hand, it prepares with the other the materials which sooner or later will undermine and destroy the whole fabric [of society].�

The 2008 Democratic Party platform states that �[t]he Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion [to murder her child], regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken and undermine that right.�

In 2007 Obama stated: "On this fundamental issue [continuing to allow the murder of innocent babies], I will not yield and Planned Parenthood will not yield." Now, this past week, Obama�s transition team is already planning on rescinding the executive orders put in place by Bush to prevent American taxpayer funding of abortions worldwide and the domestic creation and destruction of millions of embryos specifically for the purpose of embryonic stem cell research.

The social teaching of the Democratic Party and President Elect Obama which allows, protects and pays for the right to kill an unwanted innocent person by definition �prescinds from [the] internal essential relation to God of everything that regards men.� Their social teaching and program cannot be considered a good under any legitimate interpretation of Catholic teaching.

Our bishops warned us of the moral peril of voting for Senator Obama and we, as a group, refused to listen at our own spiritual peril. As St. Ignatius of Antioch�s letter to the Ephesians still reminds us: �It is manifest, therefore, that we should look upon the bishop even as we would upon the Lord Himself.� When our bishops told us that the common good cannot be achieved by voting for a politician who wants to pay for the killing of innocent babies or protect baby killing as a right, what was the response of pro-Obama Catholics like Professor Kmiec? Argumentation. Is this how we would treat our Lord? The endorsement of Obama, a man who supports the death of innocent babies, a man who like Pontius Pilate thought that the truth of when human rights begin is above his �pay grade,� and then referring to his election as a �miracle� is inviting us to praise the election of a man who practices things unworthy of God, the author and protector of life.

Against those who would wish to take us away from the teachings of our bishops and the Catholic Church regarding the importance of protecting human life from conception to natural death, St. Ignatius further warns us: �For some are in the habit of carrying about the name [of Jesus Christ] in wicked guile, while yet they practice things unworthy of God, whom you must flee as you would wild beasts. For they are ravening dogs, who bite ...

I had an abortion when I was seventeen, my Irish very Catholic father of, was instructed by his family to not marry, nor claim the child. My parents had said we could marry and they would support us through college. My boyfriend at the time had a scholarship to college and had been scouted to play college then Professional Football. His family with council...they said, were against the marriage, the child because it would prevent him from realizing his life goal.

My family outweighed and we planned a wedding and my father made arrangements for us to live in the town where he was going to take a scholarship from St. Mary�s College, in CA. The day before the wedding my fianc� left town and went to visit a high school friend and run away from the wedding. My father drove down to talk with him; on his way there he was killed in an automobile accident. My father died trying desperately to help me. My entire family were angry and hurt and my mother advised that an abortion would be accepted, this was the worst experience any 17 year old girl could have happen. The same boyfriend became my husband six weeks later. He said he realized that my life was more important than his. He made it through college with my help...and realized his dream of becoming a professional football player.

My family lost my father, lost a part of themselves in the abortion that I went through. We were married for 25 years, and had two beautiful children. I finally divorced him after being verbally and physically abused. I did not want my children to think that the behavior of their father was acceptable, as his family had accepted an abusive father, sexually, verbally and physically with a mother who so devoted to her husband would not protect her children from the abuse of their father. She chose not to believe them when they asked for her defense, and she also instructed them that if you just always act like everything is perfect than that is how it should be.
Sadly, how my now ex-husband is just like the father he despised when we were young. My children respect him and his new wife, but have always lived with me and had a much more open relationship, of truth and never settling for hypocrisy. I am curious what the people who believe that I am the sinner here and will go straight to hell, no ands if's or buts.

I have not remarried for over ten years, as one marriage was it in my teaching from my parents. I have never missed days of guilt and trauma over the entire episode, guilt of my father�s death and guilt of the childs. I feel like God loves me, he blessed me with two remarkable children, gave me the strength to not enable an abuser, and to get my children through college without help. We worked as a team they both had two jobs and graduated in 4 years with honors on the Deans list. Are they guilty by association, as I the sinner am their mother?

Would a loving God not forgive me, as there are Ten Commandments, but some feel that breaking one is a greater sin than another? Would an intelligent God choose to meet me when I die and be the ultimate judge of my destiny? Or am I now in a special group that condones God fearing persons to kill Doctors or force themselves on women in an hour of need. I was taught in Church that God does not want nor give the right to act like God, judgment is his job. And that hypocrisy is something that will greatly anger him. What does the ultimate sacrifice of Christ as he died on the cross for mankind�s sin? With words of "Father forgive them for they do not know what they have done." Was he referring to me or anyone else who has had an abortion, or the rest of society? The ultimate act of forgiveness, as we are all sinners, in God's eyes. But this issue seems to have more merit with the Church, would God wonder why mortal men have chosen certain commandments or put a higher toll on them. Is War okay, not always with good intentions mortal men have killed innocent people and tortured them for thousands of years in the name of God, and that is okay? It is very sad that this issue has become so distorted and has produced the opposite of love your enemy as Christ also said. Every time I hear someone say anyone is pro-death as some of the more popular politicians have said with alot of false pride. Any human being who is pro-death has lost all sense of being human and would be void of any emotion, and it is wrong and unfair to label other people with such hate and contempt. Hate and contempt and all of the negative emotions and actions it conjures up are very dark and come not from God. The God that I was taught about and read about would not be pleased with the judgment and condemnation of others. I am sure most who join the raging crowd as Christ said let the first man who has not sinned cast the first stone, as he was rescuing St. Mary Magdalene the prostitute who came to be one of his closest disciples, was daring the crowd of mortal men to act only if they had never sinned. The stoning was ended. My heart goes out to those who have made this decision with family or council, that they may be spared the evil things that are said about them and that their destiny is doomed.
Abortion has been acted out for thousands of years by herbs in ancient times, to black market practitioners who caused more death, to women alone with a coat hanger. Women for whatever reason, who have gone through an abortion, suffer, just as a mother suffers for a child lost in miscarriage. Maybe they have locked these feelings deep down under the surface to survive, but the wound is there and remains, until the day of reckoning comes with God. I feel for the women who may not have strong faith and are subjected to attacks and fear-mongering and I would bet that many have made decisions as I did at a time when I was numb, and looked to my mother now without my father, as she advised me to have the abortion. There are millions of stories like mine, tragic, heart-breaking, life-altering, bringing you to your knees with fear and confusion. To put these women past and present into a group of so called murderers is the most un-God like thing I can think of. The life of guilt and pain, and suffering that happens with this is it not enough punishment, if that is what you are striving for, and would it not be more in line with God to do as he instructed and not try to act like God. Be your brother and sister's keeper, treat others as you want to be treated, and to say that you know how something feels if you have never experienced that, would be considered a bit hypocritical. And the stones that are being cast by the fervor of this are by mortal human beings who have all sinned. Would Christ as he did 2,000 years ago, demand that you not cast a stone unless you are free of any sin, any sin. There are ten, and I do not recall Moses as he delivered the stone tablets of God, adding any emphasis on one or the other.

My prayers go out to, those who condemn and condone, and more importantly have gone through this experience in a society that wants to pass judgment, and say cruel things, extort lies and misrepresent someone behind their back. If there was so much love and compassion in true form applied to this situation, perhaps there may not be a need for oversight. Each individual acts with God given free-will, and should therefore be at the mercy of God. Not men.
Thank you, and I hope this personal story difficult to share my help someone.

Elizabeth | 11/18/2008

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