In the August 18 issue of America, Jesuit ethicist John Kavanaugh writes about Senator Obama's "abortion problem."
In the September 8 issue of America, Douglas W. Kmiec, professor of law at Peperdine University responds to Kavanaugh. Kmiec is a pro-life Catholic who has endorsed Obama.
The two essays offer seasoned points of view and are deserving of a careful read.
For background reading related to making moral decisions when voting, see the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops document, Faithful Citizenship, especially paragraphs 17-39. See also the Platform for the Common Good, a document from Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.
Update: The links in the previous paragraph will take you to sites where one more click will bring you to the documents. In like fashion, links to both of these documents and their issuing organizations can be found at any time on the sidebar.
-ConcordPastor
Concord Pastor, Rather than falling into the one-issue trap, do you have pointers to any article that explains the range of actions that are considered "intrinsic evils" by the Catholic Church? I assume euthanasia is on the list.
ReplyDeleteHave you read the whole of Faithful Citizenship?
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing us to these insightful and helpful articles on this issue. We voters need all the help we can get, especially on prolife. One problem, though, when I tried the link to Faithful Citizenship I received the message: Sorry, the page (or document) you have requested does not exist.
ReplyDeleteI'll try it later in case this was just a fluke.
Cookie
Your link leads to a Google sign-in page, Father Fleming, so the answer to the above is no.
ReplyDeleteThe link is working for me. Anyone else having a problem with it?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the confusion and dead-end links.
ReplyDeleteI've corrected the post to get you to the documents by a different path. I don't know how to link you directly - but if someone out there can help me - please let me know!
I am disappointed, Father, that after what seemed to be a spirited defense of the pro-life position (below), you give space to a "pro-life" supporter of Obama, Douglas Kmiec. Why are the America articles especially deserving of a careful read -- as opposed to, say, Augustine as he actually argued the abortion question, or even Pope Benedict, who has written authoritatively on the issue as well?
ReplyDeleteI do not feel obligated to post every possible source on this issue. (Readers are welcome to include links to other sources in their comments.)
ReplyDeletePosting the link to the American Bishops' statement "Faithful Citizenship" certainly offers my readers the Church's position on these matters. The Kmiec-Kavanaugh exchange plays out well a significant tension in this discussion for Catholics and that's why I suggested taking a look at them.
My beginning point is that the Church teaching on abortion is 100% correct. My interest here is to engage those who might think otherwise to look at the Church's position again.
please forgive me if my comment is too "specific" or personal...
ReplyDeleteI am still confused and (actually worried) about something...
I looked at the part about reasons women give for having an abortion...
One of the reasons was: pregnancy resulting from rape or incest
These things have nothing to do with all God is about: love, kindness, all that is good...
How could God create a life from these love-less, hateful things?
Again, I'm sorry if my comment is inappropriate or, I don't know what-
thank you.
All that God gives us is good, even if we sometimes use what is good in loveless or even hateful ways. God gives me hands to help others, but I can also use those hands to kill others. Using my hands to harm others has nothing to do with what God is all about: love, kindness and all that is good. How could God let me use my hands in this way?
ReplyDeleteIt is a tragedy when rape and incest occur, and that tragedy can be compounded if a pregnancy results but God does not step in, here and there, to change the course of nature.
Thank you for listening to me and taking the time to respond to my comment/question.
ReplyDeleteIt's still confusing, but I think I understand what you said-
(This will probably always be confusing to me, but you have given me a little peace about it)
Thank you CP for offering these 2 America articles for our consideration...they will certainly be one of the many things I consider as I prepare to vote in November! The Faithful Citizenship information is also a very valuable resource for all Catholic voters.
ReplyDelete