Reproductive Choice and my vote for President of the United States.

There is within me a core moral fiber that cannot be broken.

I believe without question that in order for one to be “pro-life” they must love all life from conception until natural death.  I don’t believe this because the Church teaches it, though that is helpful. I have actually held this belief since before I was Catholic, before I was Christian. I believed this when I was simply, human.

To compromise this would be to compromise who I am…who God made me.

I decided tonight to look up some statistics. Often I have quoted statistics about abortion and the quantity of children lost to this tragedy of human stupidity and greed. Here they are again, to help you understand my belief.

• For 2003, approximately 848,000 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC from 49 reporting areas.

• The abortion ratio was 241 legal induced abortions per 1,000 live births. This represents a decrease from the 2002 ratio of 246 abortions per 1,000 live births. • The abortion rate was 16 legal induced abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years. This represents no change from the 2002 report.

• As in the past, the highest percentage of abortions were obtained by white women, at fifty-five percent. Unmarried women accounted for 82% of abortions. Women under 25 years of age represented 51% of all abortions.

• Sixty-one percent of reported abortions were performed during the first 8 weeks of gestation. Approximately 88% were performed within the first 12 weeks of gestation.

If you say, well that’s only one year, perhaps it spiked that year.

A total of 839,226 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC for 2004. A big ole 1.1% decrease.

One chart from the 2004 report shows that between 700 and 800 abortions occur per 1000 births in girl 15 years of age and younger. That’s 70-80% of girls 15 and under getting pregnant have Abortions! HOW is that acceptable? HOW is that benefitting the health of the mother?

There are many more statistics in the 2004 report which I encourage you to read, especially the findings/results section. You can read it here: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5609a1.htm?s_cid=ss5609a1_e

Psalm 127:3 reads, “Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward.” How precious is this gift and yet, we squander it like everything else. In Act’s it is written, “…because he himself gives men life and breath”. I believe that when man is in conflict with God, an internal turmoil exists that cannot be forgiven or reconciled by man. Only God can resolve this war within us. This is true with abortion as well.

While in college I dated a girl shortly after she had an abortion. No, it was not my child. Though in a variety of circumstances in my life, I too could have dealt with a teenage or college girlfriend who became pregnant. Thankfully I did not. This girl was nice, fun, and we had a deep relationship. My affection for her was quickly replaced with caring and the desire for physical intimacy. Her need, while I know was in her mind a love for me, was actually a soulful need for forgiveness. There are multiple nights in which she cried in my arms. Her pain was deep and her wound was a thrashing cut on the soul. I have and continue to pray that she finds peace with her decision and reconciliation with God.

But this furthered my belief that life is precious and those that mess with it, mess with God on a personal level.  And God don’t play that.

I have to be honest.  I strongly considered not voting at all.  In fact just this evening I had that conversation again.  But 2 things have swayed me to vote. 

First, my Dad is a WWII veteran of the Navy.  I've met many of the men who fought for you and I to have the right and opportunity to decide our country's leaders.  I've attended too many memorial services for those that died for the same cause.

Second, my wife and I talked about this and she is right.  I have a moral obligation to fight for what I hold as the highest value.  That of human life.

So, I'm voting for McCain.  Failed economic policies, crappy health care ideals, stupid public policy and all, I'm voting for him because I choose life.  And while there are many uneducated and ill informed Catholics out there who think they can side step the issue and vote for Obama, let me be clear.

Immediate moral corporation occurs when the cooperator participates in circumstances that are essential to the commission of an act, such that the act could not occur without this participation.  So, because Obama has said he will do everything he can to uphold a woman’s right to kill her baby, and he will provide public funds to do so, and he will and has supported partial birth abortions…a vote for him is immediate moral cooperation with evil because Abortion is killing which for those of you who read the bulletin too much during Mass, is a commandment.

Vote McCain, save your soul.

Comments are welcome if they are clean.

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4 Responses to “Reproductive Choice and my vote for President of the United States.”

  1. Michael says:

    These numbers and statistics make me SICK! I do not know how a culture can accept these numbers and not be bothered with it. This is the reason for 40 Days for LIFE!!! It disgusts me that there are people making a living off of abortions! I am glad that we have a chance to elect a president who will stand up for life. We ALL need to stand up and make our voice heard, that we stand for LIFE! VOTE VOTE VOTE!! If you do not vote, and obama becomes president, this country will be in some serious trouble. I mean, he is looking at using OUR tax dollars to support abortions while our school systems are failing, people who work hard every day do not have insurance to get medicine when they have a cold and people cannot keep their houses… Come on.

    So many people have their “excuses” why abortion should be allowed… But the reality is that there is NO reason to kill another living person. LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION!

    If anyone has a question as to where the Roman Catholic Church stands on the issue of abortions, heres something straight from the catechism…

    2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

    You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.

    God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.

  2. andy mcnutt says:

    Spot on. Same here. I wish more Catholic leaders would step up to the mic and repeat the obvious rather than skirt the issue. Our souls are on the line along with THOUSANDS of innocent lives. God, please wake the people who call themselves your children. Awaken them to the truth before their eyes. Remove the blinders placed on their eyes and hearts by the devil. Awaken those who do not seek you so that they can see the brutal reality of their “reproductive rights” and see how evil their “choice” really is. God have mercy on this country for not listening to you. Please give us someone as president who will veto any “abortion rights” document under his nose and who will appoint faithful justices. Please help us.

  3. masahira says:

    i agreed with author. thanksqz

  4. bob says:

    Thanks Masahira, Michael and Andy for your comments.

    Michael you are correct that the CACC and the Church are very clear on this point.

    Andy I agree with you. It is frustrating that some choose to misuse the “responsible citizenship” document by the Bishops and claim they can choose to vote for non pro-life candidates. That is not what the Bishop’s said. What they said was, vote on a “formed conscience” which sad to say, many people do not have. Rather they vote on their “immature self-focused wants”.

    Today’s reading (pay to Caesar what is Caesars, and to God what is God’s.) fits perfectly into this discussion. If people would stop worrying about money, and start worrying about people, we’d all be better off. But too many believe they need money to be important or successful. For those that seek success in this world will not have it in the next. We must start paying to God what is His, perhaps one big way to do that is with our vote.

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