Abortion vs. All the Other Issues?

There is still a belief among some Catholics that abortion is "just one issue among many." Many Catholics who hold this belief belong to groups like Catholics for Obama. They claim that by looking at all the issues of Catholic concerns on an equal plain they judge a candidate like Obama falls in line with Catholic moral and social teaching much more than a candidate like McCAin or Bush.

The Bulletin - Philadelphia's Family Newspaper - Catholics For Obama: Poverty As Important As Abortion

We take the abortion issue very seriously but at the same time abortion has been used as a wedge to divide voters," said Peter James Kralovec, one of the designers of the Web site in an interview with CBN News. "We have seen some resistance in some circles, but we want to express some facts about the senator's record on abortion and change the dialogue on this issue.

One argument they make is that Democratic leadership would do more to reduce the number of abortions than would Republican leadership. Even if this is true, pragmatically speaking, there is still a huge problem with this line of thinking. A vote for Obama, whose voting record and his campaign promises clearly show that he is willing to do everything possible to expand the availability of abortion, is to accept abortion as a solution for poverty and sexual promiscuity.

The prominent quote from Catholics for Obama in the article from The Bulletin is:

Senator Obama, by his words and record, is committed to a consensus-based approach to governing that seeks common ground and pragmatic solutions, not cheap appeals to division for political points," [their website] says. "His brand of new politics can restore traditions of compromise and civility in public life that will finally make it possible to address the critical issues facing the American people, even the disturbing number of abortions that has remained stagnant over the last decade.

OK, my reaction to this quotation is more from the gut than from the head. Give me a break! Can't you identify empty, meaningless campaign jargon when you hear it?

Le me try to get back to the head arguments. What exactly does this quotation mean? What is a consensus-based approach to government? Does this mean rule by opinion poll? I can't believe that it means he will work with Catholics and other Christians who oppose abortion, homosexual marriage and cloning. In fact, there are some very intelligent Catholics who fear that Obama's "consensus leadership" means forcing a consensus by force.

Finally, I wonder if the Democratic Party can even be truly said to be good for other social issues. In their zeal to eliminate poverty and suffering, many Catholics have embraced a socialistic mindset that says that the government should take care of these problems. This mindset directly opposes the principle of subsidiarity. Government should certainly help local communities to take care of these problems, but not take them over. It is sadly true that we haven't seen much progress on President Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives proposal. The war has clouded over what was once Bush's primary goal as president. However, this was the right idea. The government should lend support to the organizations that are serving those in need on a local level.

I wish there were a political party that was more sensitive to all Catholic issues, but there is not. In the absence of such a party, we must try our best to vote in a way that is true to our faith. Yes, I have problems with the Republican love affair with "big business" and with aspects of the war in Iraq. However, to give a vote to socialism and abortion as a solution to poverty doesn't seem to me to be a good solution. I don't write this just to tote the party line (I'm really not a Reagan conservative). I encourage my readers to think critically and seriously about their choices this election cycle and I hope my arguments can help your thought process.