While there are certainly other issues that our faith touches upon, some issues take precedence over others. Bishops Vann and Farrell remind us of this in their Joint Statement About the Upcoming Election (.pdf file). They specifically remind Catholics that life issues, like abortion, are of greatest importance, because abortion and other crimes against life are intrinsically evil, and cannot ever be justified. Other issues are important too, but not quite at the same level of abortion.
From the letter:
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship clearly teaches that not all issues have the same moral equivalence. Some issues involve “intrinsic evils”; that is, they can never under any circumstance or condition be morally justified. Preeminent among these intrinsic evils are legalized abortion, the promotion of same sex unions and “marriages”, repression of religious liberty, as well as public policies permitting euthanasia, racial discrimination or destructive human embryonic stem cell research…
Therefore, we cannot make more clear the seriousness of the overriding issue of abortion – while not the “only issue” – it is the defining moral issue, not only today, but of the last 35 years. Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, more than 48 million innocent lives have been lost. Each year in our nation more than one million lives are lost through legalized abortion. Countless other lives are also lost through embryonic stem cell research. In the coming months our nation will once again elect our political leaders. This electoral cycle affords us an opportunity to promote the culture of life in our nation. As Catholics we are morally obligated to pray, to act, and to vote to abolish the evil of abortion in America, limiting it as much as we can until it is finally abolished…
As Catholics we are faced with a number of issues that are of concern and should be addressed, such as immigration reform, healthcare, the economy and its solvency, care and concern for the poor, and the war on terror. As Catholics we must be concerned about these issues and work to see that just solutions are brought about. There are many possible solutions to these issues and there can be reasonable debate among Catholics on how to best approach and solve them. These are matters of “prudential judgment.” But let us be clear: issues of prudential judgment are not morally equivalent to issues involving intrinsic evils. No matter how right a given candidate is on any of these issues, it does not outweigh a candidate’s unacceptable position in favor of an intrinsic evil such as abortion or the protection of “abortion rights.” (emphasis theirs)
Plain talk from some bishops of the Church! Abortion IS an important issue. Taking an innocent life should be an important issue right? I believe it was Albert Schweitzer who said something to the effect that allowing abortion lowers a nation’s level of civilization. Indeed.
Now, before you deem this partisan (well, it is), remember that Republicans should take note of this too. Most Democrats are blatantly and proudly pro-choice, but it is not as if a lot of Republicans have made life issues a real priority. If only some Republicans were as concerned with the unborn as they are with corporate welfare, tax cuts, etc. I am not opposed to tax cuts, that is for sure, but my point is that all of us have a lot to do to end abortion.
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