Catholics Can Support Pro Choice Politicians in Good Conscience
Catholics can rest assured that they are in good company, and in good conscience, in supporting prochoice policymakers. Church teachings on moral decision-making and abortion are complex and far more nuanced than the monolithic teachings as represented by the bishops. In Catholic theology there is room for the acceptance of policies that favor access to the full range of reproductive health options, including contraception and abortion.
For example, despite what many conservative Catholics may want us to believe, there is no firm position within the Catholic church on when the fetus becomes a person. In its last definitive statement on abortion, the 1974 Declaration on Procured Abortion, the Vatican acknowledged that it does not know when the fetus becomes a person: “There is not a unanimous tradition on this point and authors are as yet in disagreement.”
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Of course Catholics can support pro choice politicans in good conscience.
There is always a choice. The real choice is should the woman decide or should the state/ church decide?
So in the end, all good politicans, are pro-choice , it is merely a matters of whose choice.
But to the conservative issue, I ask this."How can you say that the government should tell a woman that she does not have the right to choice regarding something so personal and scared and at the same time say that you are in favor of less government intervention in our lives?" Just a question.
They do
Nowadays,Catholics can do whatever they wish in good conscience. At least this is what they choose to believe. This is not what the Catholic Church, established 2009 years ago, believes or teaches, however. The rules were set down by the author of life and death, and to my knowledge, they are still in force. Jiminy Cricket misled many of us, and we need to forget that little bug's teaching about 'always let your conscience be your guide.' Our conscience can mislead us. It's wise to always let the Catechism of the Catholic Church be our guide if we care about pleasing our Lord and preserving our immortal souls. And certainly, don't let the current society trends be our guide. That's just plain foolish. Try to imagine how many trends have come and gone in 2009 years. What if the Church made silly changes to accomodate these trends every time one came along? Be thankful the Church stands firm on God's laws and obey them. Enjoy the treasures of the Church. We have them in abundance. Pray for all our brothers and sisters of other faiths. We are all one family in His eyes.
I agree with your opening statement, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
That being said, I would just like to point out a few small, albeit, important flaws in your statment. While I think that you a a devout Catholic and I applaud you, there are some problems with your statement.
FIRST, the Catholic Church is NOT 2009 years old. SECOND, the rules of the Catholic Church were not dictated by God as we believe the Bible to be. THIRD, the Catholic Church teaches us in the Baltimore Catechism that our 'conscience' is that still small voice from which God whispers to us. (It was Walt Disney that personified that still small voice as a cricket) Thus, it is a slippery slope to suggest that our conscience can mislead us. Perhaps we may misunderstand something but our true conscience is our moral compass and not misleading. FOURTH, the Catechisms of the Catholic Church have changed many times over the years, most recently in the '60's with Pope John the XXIII and Vatican II. FIFTH, God gave 10 laws to the Jews in ancient times and 2 to His disciples in 'modern' times.
I do agree with you we should treasure the Church, it is a wonderful vessel, but only a vessel. And we should always continue to pray for all God's children , without ceasing.
Yes, why should people use reason and logic to discover right and wrong when a priest can decide for them?
Joe O'Brien is ostensibly a very confused Catholic. In fact I would submit he is not a Catholic at all, not believing in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, & certainly is NOT a Roman Catholic. We are God's children. He created all of us, starting from the unborn. It is God's command to love each other as brothers & sisters. We cannot approve the murder of the unborn & love God at the same time. Those notions are incompatible.
I'm grateful for the discussion that is allowed on this site. I dod not have time to read all the comments and debates. When speaking about the right to abortion because it is the law of our land, I also know that at one time, slavery was allowed in our land because it was the law of the land. What about all the issues surrounding the racial discrimanation in this land? Was that not at one time the law of our land? And what was that all worth? The cost of the ink and the paper which made it a law? We don't need human laws to know the law that is written into every human heart. We all know right and wrong and we don't need someone else to tell us. We just need to stop joking ourselves. Thank you for this chance to speak!
The rest of the citation so it is not taken out of context.
19. This declaration expressly leaves aside the question of the moment when the spiritual soul is infused. There is not a unanimous tradition on this point and authors are as yet in disagreement. For some it dates from the first instant; for others it could not at least precede nidation. It is not within the competence of science to decide between these views, because the existence of an immortal soul is not a question in its field. It is a philosophical problem from which our moral affirmation remains independent for two reasons: (1) supposing a belated animation, there is still nothing less than a human life, preparing for and calling for a soul in which the nature received from parents is completed, (2) on the other hand, it suffices that this presence of the soul be probable (and one can never prove the contrary) in order that the taking of life involve accepting the risk of killing a man, not only waiting for, but already in possession of his soul.
A Catholic who may think that there is room in Catholic theology for the "acceptance of policies that favor access to the full range of "reproductive health options", (on the contrary, are not healthy emotionally, physically or spiritually) you only need to read what the Church herself teaches on abortion and contraception. The conclusion is clear: There is no room in Catholic theology for the obvious disregard for human life.
Logic can be our best friend or our worst friend. Depends on the way we feel about the question being debated. First, if we recognize that the woman's human body naturally aborts a significant portion of conceived eggs than we can relax a bit on the question of induced abortions. Since they happen all the time we need not make a special case.
Second, you presume that there is a soul. I don't and by the way you can never prove you or any one does have a soul. A conundrum, I know but it does swing both ways and so logical consistency would be in favor of no special case.
You also seem to presume that you know god's mind (if such a mind does actually exist) which I will grant for arguments sake, but please inform me how you or anyone could possibly know all the mysterious ways of this god?
Besides, I would argue that there is "no room in catholic theology for the obvious disregard for human life" presented in wars, or even in the holding of WMDs.
We should strive to educate people about sex and contraception so that those who want to have a baby have them when they want them and not because of an accident.