Bishop Carlson: You cannot vote for pro-abortion politicians

Bishop Carlson of South Dakota makes what is, in my opinion, the clearest and most thorough treatment of the issue of voting for pro-abortion politicians (catholic or otherwise). He also makes a clear point about why a Catholic politician must oppose all abortion legislation. They are required to do so.

He is Tom Daschle's bishop . . . and I hope Daschle will listen to his bishop and repent. For his own sake and for the sake of thousands of innocent children.

Comments

[jcecil3]

Greetings!

The letter does not say one can not vote for a pro-choice politician. Rather, it says you cannot vote for a pro-choice politician because of his or her pro-choice stand. In other words, if there is grave reason to vote for a pro-choice candidate based on another issue(such as reducing abortions as opposed to candidate who would increase them, or trying to stop the murder of innocents by the state through an unjust war) you can do so.

Here are the bishops own words from your own link:

If one had a properly formed conscience admitting the grave evil of abortion and euthanasia, as the Church teaches, and does not share a candidates stand in favor of abortion and euthanasia, but votes for the candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation which can be permitted, Cardinal Ratzinger states, if proportionate reasons are present, e.g., the candidate would limit abortions.

Peace!

[Chris Burgwald]

jcecil3, neither of the reasons you mention ("such as reducing abortions as opposed to candidate who would increase them, or trying to stop the murder of innocents by the state through an unjust war") are considered proportionate means when it comes to abortion. If you read the entirety of Ratzinger's letter (which Bp. Carlson did not quote), you'll see that he specifically refers to the question of war, and distinguishes it from abortion, in that the latter is *always* immoral, while the former is not.

Futhermore, Bp. Carlson himself did not intend to mean that those issues "trump" the abortion issue. Trust me... I work for him.