(Thanks to Chuck White for the Title)
While must of us in Guam cannot vote in the Presidential election, many of us are involved in the support of presidential canditates in some form. Thus, this is something we should know about.
Presidential hopeful Barack Obama is currently courting the residents of Guam, promising war reparations, jobs, opportunities, etc. (See PDN 4/10/08),
His overtures put Guam's Catholics in a quandry of whether they will "serve God or mammon".
While Obama proposes to give Guam what many consider their "just do". Catholics cannot ignore his VERY anti-life voting record:
GovWatch: Obama's "present" votes were a requested strategy. (Feb 2008)
Expand access to contraception; reduce unintended pregnancy. (Feb 2008)
Rated 100% by NARAL on pro-choice votes in 2005, 2006 & 2007. (Jan 2008)
Voted against banning partial birth abortion. (Oct 2007)
Stem cells hold promise to cure 70 major diseases. (Aug 2007)
Trust women to make own decisions on partial-birth abortion. (Apr 2007)
Extend presumption of good faith to abortion protesters. (Oct 2006)
Constitution is a living document; no strict constructionism. (Oct 2006)
Pass the Stem Cell Research Bill. (Jun 2004)
Protect a woman's right to choose. (May 2004)
Supports Roe v. Wade. (Jul 1998)
Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Apr 2007)
Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)
Voted YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)
Sponsored bill providing contraceptives for low-income women. (May 2006)
Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance. (Dec 2006)
Ensure access to and funding for contraception. (Feb 2007)
Also, you can see several of Obama's exact quotes on abortion here.
As an Illinois state senator he refused to support the Born Alive Infants Bill - legislation to protect babies who survived late-term abortions.
While many people are aware of Partial Birth Abortion, a procedure where a live baby is extracted from the mother feet first and then stabbed in the back of the head, few are aware of the procedure that the Born Alive Bill is meant to protect.
These babies are born alive after induced labor and then left to die. Obama would not support a bill to make this "procedure" illegal. (See: Obama Is the Most Pro-Abortion Candidate Ever)
The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is always evil, that there are no circumstances in which it can be allowed. (See Catechism 2272)
Our Church also teaches that a "well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals." (See Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Notes on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life.)
The support of Obama (and Hillary Clinton too) is not a "direct" vote for a law that "contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals", but "being one step removed from law-making doesn't let citizens off the hook, since morality requires that we avoid doing evil to the greatest extent possible." (Catholic Answers voting guide).
There will be those who will contend that McCain is in error for supporting the war in Iraq but our Church makes it very clear that the issues of war and abortion are not in the same moral category (see CCC 2309, 2267). War is not intrinsically evil and thus sometimes allowed. Abortion (and euthanasia) is NEVER allowed and is ALWAYS evil.
In order to protect the tax exempt status of the parish (or diocese), a church leader may not advocate for or against a particular party or candidate. However, there is nothing that inhibits our pastors from instructing Catholics on the demands of our faith as concerns moral issues and the consequences of our actions.
It would be wonderful to see our Church take moral leadership in this regard. However, each one of us has a severe moral duty to confront those among us who are contributing to the camps of pro-abortion candidates. And perhaps since as individuals we do not have to concern ourselves with IRS rules, we can be even more upfront and effective
