ELECTION ISSUES SPARK VITRIOLIC RESPONSE
The Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion, and its endorsement of the pro-marriage resolution in California, Proposition 8, has triggered an avalanche of criticism, much of it vitriolic. Here is a sampling:
· The National Catholic Reporter blasts all the bishops—“Not one among the bishops has had the courage”—to take on pro-life Catholics who have allegedly “distorted” the abortion issue
· Rabbi Brad Hirschfield criticizes Cardinal Egan for being anti-abortion, saying, “We need to stop litmus testing each other over single issues” like abortion. “We”?
· Catholics for Choice says that pro-abortion Catholics “are in good company, and in good conscience” for rejecting the Church’s teaching on this subject
· Rev. Daniel Kanter, a Unitarian, says the Catholic Church “employs a measure of fear” to get Catholics to oppose abortion
· Rev. Jonathan Tran, a Baptist, opines, “If the Church doesn’t tell us what to do with our ballots…and genitalia, who will?” “Us”?
· Professor Frank K. Flinn says the Catholic Church has not always been opposed to abortion, implying that the Catholic Catechism, the bishops and the pope are all wrong
· Rev. Geoffrey Farrow, a gay priest, says the Catholic Church’s opposition to gay marriage represents a “hurtful” theology
· Atheos, a musician, says Proposition 8 “is nothing but Bigotry—good ol’ Christian bigotry”
· Los Angeles Times writer Steve Lopez says that “Speaking up for the dignity of gay people must be a greater sin than being accused of molesting minors”
Catholic League president Bill Donohue responds as follows:
“Even worse are American Atheists, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. All accuse the Catholic Church of abusing its power by favoring Proposition 8, yet none says anything about the more than 100 houses of worship and religious organizations which oppose it. Their hypocrisy is appalling.”
Susan A. Fani
Director of Communications
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
catalyst@catholicleague.org
New York, NY 10123
212-371-3191
212-371-3394 (fax)
http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1508
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8 comments:
A political candidate’s position on abortion has become the de facto litmus test of morality, and of respect for life. Other issues (taxes, education, health care, immigration and the economy) that also divide Republicans and Democrats have been seen primarily as issues of “social justice,” and therefore less critical. However, the data show that these also have a profound effect on life.
Consider the matter of health care. For a study of life expectancy in the United States published in PLoS Medicine in 2006, Christopher Murray of the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed census and health statistics data for the years 1982 to 2001. He found an enormous gap – an astonishing 35 years - in life expectancy based on county of residence, income, and other social factors. In my home county of Fairfax Virginia, life expectancy is among the top ten counties in the US about 81 years. Life expectancy in counties at the bottom is only 46 years, shorter than that in many developing countries! This isn’t a new finding - many other articles have been published over the last two decades describing similar differences in life expectancy. There are several reasons for premature death in many areas of the US, but socioeconomic status and access to health care are the heavyweights. Thus, health care in particular, as well as many other policy differences between the political parties can have as profound an influence on life as the death penalty or abortion. Clearly, the moral justification for voting cannot be based on a single issue.
As a Catholic, I've been opposed to abortion all my life, and efforts to reduce abortions must continue. However, the pro-life concept must encompass all causes of death, not only abortion. The positions the Democratic Party has held with respect to universal health care, taxation, unemployment, war and torture, all of which have life-or-death consequences, are more consistently pro-life than those of the Republicans. My conscience requires that I vote for Barack Obama, and I will do so with great enthusiasm and hope.
Peter Kaufmann, Ph.D.
Past President, Society of Behavioral Medicine
Secretary, International Society of Behavioral Medicine
The views expressed above are not necessarily those of the SBM or ISBM.
This brought me to a screeching halt in reading: "Rev. Geoffrey Farrow, a gay priest, says the Catholic Church’s opposition to gay marriage represents a “hurtful” theology"
Who the heck is he and who ordained him--not the Catholic Church? So where did he appropriate the authority to refer to himself as a 'priest?'
Come on, from what planet are these imported imported????
Dr Kaufmann,
Don't fool yourself--you're not Catholic. And you're certainly not fooling us.
Oh, if "OnlyFacts" only had any.
I must the good doctor for convincing me not to proceed forward for a doctorate degree--if that's the sort of thinking another degree will promote, clearly a doctorate will serve as more of a liability than an asset.
Not to attack Mr. Kaufmann, but none of those other things matter if someone is denied the basic right -the right to life. Dead people don't need health care universal or otherwise, dead people can't be tortured, dead people don't have to pay taxes,dead people don't hold jobs nor do they participate in war.
Just as an aside, although I am not catholic, a friend sent me a link to some youtube videos of father Corapi that were excellent on this topic. the link is:
http://www.youtube.com
/resultssearch_query=
eleventh+hour+election+
alert&search_type=&aq=f
or just enter "eleventh hour election alert" and watch the three part video that comes up.
"...There are several reasons for premature death in many areas of the US, but socioeconomic status and access to health care are the heavyweights..."
All due respect, Doc, but blah, blah, blah. Did you learn all that rhetoric at the How to Manipulate Friends and Influence the Godless Masses School of Born Alive Barack Obama?
The number one reason for premature death in the US is abortion--and some 12,000,000 unborn babies from every socioeconomic background could attest the fact (but mostly from poor backgrounds since they're the targets). Euthanasia victim numbers will soon catch up to those obliterated by abortion.
You do that, doctor, and vote your 'conscience,' but my guess is that your ultra-educated mind has blurred what good sense you were born with, and your conscience seems to have followed suit.
Y'all basically responded how I would. It is nice to have such educated readers:-)
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