Hi, David–

It would be unthinkable for, say, the VFW to honor a politician who minimized veteran affairs. It would be equally unthinkable for Planned Parenthood to honor a pro-life politician. The same argument you make about a “religious test” being determinative could be made, without changing anything but the subject word, about a “veteran affairs test” or a “pro-death test.” Would you, though, be as quick to apply your argument in those cases?

The Church is, in terms of civil society, a religious organization. By what stretch of the imagination or abuse of logic is it then inappropriate for her to apply a “religious test” for honoring a civil servant?

Actually, Luc, why not excommunicate them? A pre-born infant is a person. Abortion is the premeditated murder of a person, for the personal convenience of another person. If a politician insisted on making and enforcing a law that permitted people to kill anyone else whom they found unbearably inconvenient, should he be admitted to Holy Communion?

“But, abortion is different,” one may say, “because it involves the woman’s body.” That’s true. It is different: it’s worse. A pregnant woman’s body is designed by God to be a fortress of protection for her child, and she is supposed to be the child’s protector. Instead, a demonized culture insists to her that her proper role is to breach the fortress herself, and murder her own child.

Excommunication is not a “hammer,” it’s a mercy. It is a way of preventing someone from making rationalizations that will lead him to justify “eating and drinking unworthily,” not to his profit but to his condemnation. It says, in no uncertain terms, “you have placed your soul in jeopardy, and need to confess and reform.”

These are things we aren’t supposed to say out loud in our demonized culture. The woman is always to be regarded as a “victim” The politician is always to be regarded as “having many good ideas and values that compensate.”

The woman may well be a victim of whatever situation got her with child in the first place. The politician may indeed have some ideals that are laudable. But if the woman’s life is not actually in danger from the pregnancy, and she then proceeds to have the child killed, she is a murderess. And the “doctor” is a murderer. And the politician is either an inciter or an accessory. It really is just that simple,

Until these people have been to confession and gotten right with the Lord, can I, or any priest, in good conscience place them in even further danger by admitting them to Holy Communion? And by what logic do I reinforce them in their rationalizations by honoring them in the name of God’s Church?

“The unborn child is a “whole person.” ”

I agree … if it’s actually a child we’re talking about. In other words, if there’s a heart and a head and a brain, fully formed or not, it’s a “human being”. This is still very early in the development cycle and a position that I’m sure Planned Parenthood would reject.

At the same time, to insist that a day-old zygote should be afforded the same recognition of personhood as even a partially formed fetus seems a bit of an extreme stance to take … one based more on theological arguments than physiological ones, but I’m willing to hear arguments that would convince me otherwise.

Of course, our current permissiveness on this in America far exceeds anything that I’d consider “reasonable”, and I’m hoping that the next SCOTUS will undo some of the damage wrought by Roe v Wade.

All efforts must be put in repealing Roe v. Wade. 50 years of baby murder must end, and end now!

Well, there’s a reasonable response. And what is more violent than dismemberment in the womb?

People who write “this individual’s beliefs have no place in public discourse” (on the “individual’s” blog no less) betray a totalitarian impulse against those with whom they disagree. Furthermore, the construction “worthy representative of his constituents” doesn’t work either if one is a constituent of the group doing the honoring. I’ll overlook the comment on religious tests as well because no doubt this shibboleth is trotted out only with opinions about which the commentator disagrees. Finally, abortion is an industry. Planned Parenthood brought in $1.2 billion last year. Cecille Richards just got a pay raise to $1 million a year. Not bad for being the nation’s chief abortion ideologue.

Memo to Anti-Abortion Orthodox hypocrites, STOP SUPPORTING HATE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST ANYONE OUTSIDE THE WOMB WHO IS NOT LIKE YOU!!!

What is more “MEAN SPIRITED” than dismemberment in the womb?

Your care and concern for the pre-born, elderly, poor, hard-working, disabled are commendable and of course we are called by Christ to help each person and see each person as made in the image of God and to foster a society which does so as well as best we can. As a woman, I also understand how compassionate and maternal your heart may be in what you say.

Sadly, such compassion has been cleverly evoked by those who actually work against compassion. It sounds as if you have been affected by this psychological ploy by those in the service of the evil one, because your solution is lethal as well as ineffective for all of the above. A compassionate society does not murder and neglect vast numbers to save others economically nor does a compassionate Church or person. In fact, a compassionate society must be composed in the majority of compassionate persons. Voting for someone who will extend the pro-death society through her judicial appointments as well as her own term as president because of concern for the lesser issues you mention (environment, work, financial compensation etc) means voting for a society which murders holy innocents, degrades women, and makes men unaccountable for their actions — all with a coarsening, brutalizing impact on society and its way of relating one person to another. Even relying on society without a mention of what the individual and the Church should do is evidence of that coarsening and lessening of a sense of personal responsibility. Planned Parenthood does NOT encourage pro-life choices such as open or closed adoption — only the abortion funds them. The beauty of open and closed adoption for both overwhelmed birth mothers and grateful infertile recipients is something to see. As is the spiritual growth of the person who takes responsibility for her actions by having the child which a choice for sex created. Psychologically this taking of responsibility at least through pregnancy matures a woman if she has support. She could have your support, your Church’s support, to grow in this way, to become more self-respecting and less dependent on the opinion of an immature male, if that is the issue. And she could learn to prize her body as a temple of God rather than desecrating it and carrying psycyhological and spiritual wounds forever. Please think of her as well as the child, Ms. Olsen.

Re solutions:

A flat tax solves your problems with billionaires. May we have one.

Obamacare itself encourages and mandates neglect of seniors, the disabled, the ill, the mentally ill, the memory-impaired, as well as about to be born persons and most especially African-American babies. President Obama consulted those very insurance and pharmaceutical folks rather than medical advisors as he constructed the legislation~ which I did read, as a physician, despite Nancy Pelosi’s advice that I should have faith in her rather than in God and in my Hippocratic Oath from a Catholic medical school to do no harm. After the 2016 election ~ by design to surprise the electorate after the damage may be done ~ parts of Obamacare will “kick in” that will be chilling for seniors.

I cannot agree that abortion rates are the same as before Roe v Wade, there is no evidence of that nor does it make sense. Any behavior which is legalized and normalized by society and especially by the Church or medical professions simply increases. This is clearly not the “rare” event promised by Democrats years ago. It is now the birth control of choice for unmarrieds because condoms lessen friction pressure for males. Birth control pills can and IUDs/morning after pills always do cause abortion of a developing human. A pre-born baby writhing in pain and dying because of a desire for more sexual pleasure, more convenience, pleasure without responsibility. Heinous. How callous and inhumane we have become. Sacrificial abstinence in marriage, the work of natural planning in a marriage, beautiful effect on both participants with increasing respect of the man for the woman as well from his loving sacrifice. And what woman deserves less?

What I see in my office are women so demeaned by their status as sexual objects to be used for a few moments without commitment or protection by males ~ who because of the degradation of life in our society (aided by well-intentioned people such as yourself) are less rather than more respectful of the women they “encounter” but often hardly know. A young woman told me once she was so grateful that the young man she had just met and “hooked up” with, actually put his arm around her afterwards and remembered her name. Can you imagine??? Will you not weep for her and see how this pro-abortion culture encourages her to think of herself as an object? And weep for the young women who are infertile because of abortions and prolonged use of birth control pills. And who have a hard time adopting or resort to IVF which essentially multiplies abortions. Souls and physical bodies are damaged unbelievably.

African American pastors will tell you about the change in the family structure of those now looking to government (“society”) rather than one another in the Church or in the family for basic support. See Reverent C. J. Bryant’s excellent though badly named documentary “Runaway Slave” or just come out to a street corner in front of Planned Parenthood to see the number of African American women going in, study Planned Parenthood’s celebration of Margaret Sanger, basically a proponent of eugenics herself, listen to Melva King, MLK’s niece, on the subject. You speak of the lower rate of abortion and many pro-life people would attribute that to prayer, pregnancy centers staffed and supported by Christian volunteers who cannot rely on government because of the people in power on the Supreme Court, and countless hours in front of Planned Parenthood offering alternatives to frightened, desperate women now encouraged to go against every truly female instinct given by God to have an abortion. How can you not see the evil one behind the misleading euphemisms, the deceptive advertising, the utter rejection of a consideration of a person’s soul being affected by standing with the evil one rather than God? If you cannot visualize the victims of over one million known documented abortion procedures yearly (because chemical ones may not be known), then please consider watching a film to make it real for yourself. And please consider asking your church and perhaps many individuals to help those in need in your midst, until a particular government wakes up due to your legislative advocacy. Please read the Democratic platform and the Obamacare regulations, consider the avidity with which they pursue death for most of us on the planet, and ask if Christ is with this approach. It is merciless and brutal. And we become so or go into complete denial by pretending otherwise.

Euthanasia is already in effect in many hospices, disguised yet again to make it palatable and yet causing horrific suffering to the frail who are not yet dying but are denied water and nutrition, yet kept quiet and delirious from the pain of it by medication so they look peaceful but cannot communicate with family or with God. Assisted suicide “for” the mentally ill in one state is also abhorrent to me as this is my field. The untreated mentally ill are the most vulnerable and also the most expensive to the state and therefore least desirable to a utilitarian society. Are you going to vote for people who support this? I pray not.

Finally, we Christians know that Christ said, Blessed are the poor and the poor will always be with us. And that this life is transient and only a prelude to the true life with Him. Our choices affect our souls and those of others. Please do not be lead astray by thinking or voting as if this life is the only one. May God have mercy on our souls and help each of us be part of His solution and work. He is the only One who truly cares for and understands women and our true needs. Please trust Him and follow His way.

Your prayers please,
Nicole

The unborn child is a “whole person.” If you see the developing child as anything less then you are deeply confused.

Sure Fr. Wade. Go ahead.