The “Choice” Of Abortion This Election Year
As followers of Christ, we are called to be the salt of the earth, to help preserve the good in our country through our obedience to God’s Word and by our lived examples.
In the United States, we are very blessed to have a voice in how we want our nation to be governed. As citizens, this blessing makes it our duty to speak out for the best possible direction for our country. This means that we should contribute by openly speaking when we see things that are not right. Then, on election day, we contribute by voting for the candidates who come closest to representing God’s Will for us. It is not a perfect process. No human institution is. But, we are blessed to have this great influence over our land.
Catholics do not need to be reminded that abortion as birth control is murder. Millennia before this profitable industry came to exist, our early Church Fathers broadly condemned all manners of killing the unborn and the child. This included abortion, infanticide, ritual sacrifices of children, and other abominations of those earlier times.
"[M]urder being once for all forbidden, we may not destroy even the fœtus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier man-killing; nor does it matter whether you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to the birth.” - Tertullian, Apology 9:8 (197 AD)
Today, the Church stands just as strongly for the unborn as it did then, but political leaders of our modern times have found power, influence and profit in this abomination. To them, it is an issue that has been “useful” to them.
And so here we are. Another election approaches. What choices do we have?
It is important that we know the truth about our options this November. Voting is a simple process now, and it is our duty to do so. In humility, I offer you this information. It is information that you can check and verify for yourself.
A Brief History
It is fairly well known that, in the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a “civil right”. The decision was a political one that reflected the rebelliousness of those times. To justify the ruling, the Court was "creative" with the law. This deception concerned Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the pro-abortion feminist on the Court. She warned that the decision was legally flawed and that it would not withstand a challenge in the future. She was proven right.
The flawed ruling made abortion “the law of the land” until in June of 2022 when the Court reviewed the case again and acknowledged the error of the earlier decision. This time it ruled that abortion was not a constitutional right. (The Court was obviously correct. The right to kill an unborn child is not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution.)
Abortion as a national “civil right” was overturned. This, however, did not make abortion illegal. It only meant that it was now up to the individual states to decide if they were going to permit abortion or apply limits to it. To abortion extremists, this was a great blow. They would now have to fight for this atrocity in 50 states instead of in just one federal court.
Prior to this abortion activists had made terrifying progress in advancing their cause. Few Catholics know just how far pro-abortion activism has gone in promoting abortion in the past ten years. Many politicians came to see it as a politically advantageous position but they do not seem to recognize the dark spirit that excites the activists and gives the issue its energy.
Although abortion has been a troubling issue for decades, it is in the last decade that one political party made acceptance of this barbaric procedure a requirement to be a member. Today, no politician can survive for long in the party if they speak about placing limits on abortions. They argue that those who do not support unrestricted abortion are “denying women their rights”.
For example, in 2019 a Virginia politician proposed a law that would have removed all restrictions on abortions. It even allowed moment-of-birth abortions if the mother was upset. When the Virginia governor was asked if he supported the bill, he said he did, and explained that “the infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable... and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
A “discussion”? What is there to discuss? Infanticide?
Whom Will Protect The Unborn?
This November, we will have an important choice on the ballot.
Vice President Kamala Harris is currently running for President of the United States. Former President Trump is running against him for his second term. Our country is very divided today, with both sides believing that the other is wrong. Some of us have already decided how we will vote. This may be okay, but it depends on how we came to our decision. Was our decision based on our human feelings, or was it made by prayerfully considering the words and deeds of the candidates?
We must be careful and reflect on a teaching Christ gave us for times such as these:
“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” – Matthew 7:16
How have Vice President Harris and former president Trump defended the unborn child? Here we briefly look at their words and deeds because it is by their works that we will know them.
President Trump’s History, Words and Actions
Donald Trump was once a popular and respected New York businessman and entertainer. He used his talents to advance his business projects in New York City, one of the most difficult real estate markets in the world.
When he declared his presidential candidacy in 2016, there was an abrupt change in how he was portrayed in American media and by the opposing political party. He narrowly won the election. After declaring his candidacy again for the 2024 election, the current administration authorized the raid of his home. He was arrested and was indicted on variety of state and federal charges that would have in prison for over 700 years.
What was, and is, President Trump’s position on abortion, then and today?
Let us look at five examples of his words and actions.
When Trump ran for office in 2016, he promised to appoint Supreme Court judges that would ensure the nation’s laws follow the U.S. Constitution. He told his supporters that Constitution-abiding justices would reverse the faulty national abortion law. After winning the 2016 election, he appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court and the flawed Roe v Wade decision was reversed.
When Trump entered office, he restored “The Mexico City Policy”, a special rule that forced global agencies to stop using American taxpayer money for abortions.
On January 19, 2018, Trump addressed March for Life and Pro-Life leaders. He thanked them for their work, saying “Under my administration, we will always defend the very first right in the Declaration of Independence, and that is the right to life”.
Trump proclaimed November 2020 to be National Adoption Month, encouraging “all Americans to observe this month by helping children and youth in need of a permanent home”.
Trump proclaimed January 2021 to be National Sanctity of Human Life day, declaring that “Every human life is a gift to the world. Whether born or unborn, young or old, healthy or sick, every person is made in the holy image of God.”
Vice President Harris' History, Words and Actions
Prior to becoming the current vice president, Kamala Harris was the district attorney of San Francisco. She was later elected as California’s state attorney general and then as U.S. senator. She was rated by GovTrack as “most liberal” of all the senators in Congress, and as the least bipartisan of senate Democrats.
What was, and is, Vice President Harris’ position on abortion, then and today?
Let us look at six examples of her words and actions.
In April of 2016, a pro-life activist David Daleidan secretly recorded the abortion provider Planned Parenthood as it negotiated the illegal sale of aborted babies for scientific research. Attorney General Kamala Harris had Daleiden’s home raided and had him charged with unauthorized recording.
On March 2, 2017, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris co-sponsored legislation that prevented states from placing restriction on abortions. It also forced crisis pregnancy centers, often religiously affiliated, to advertise services that they strongly disagreed with.
On May 3, 2022, Vice President Harris condemned the Supreme Court for declaring that the abortion law Roe v. Wade was unconstitutional. Vice President Harris said that this decision meant that “women’s rights in American are under attack”.
On March 1, 2024, Vice President Harris affirmed her commitment to abortion-causing drugs by declaring that these “essential medications” will remain widely accessible.
“The President and I ... remain committed to defending access to reproductive health care, including medication abortion. Our Administration will not waver in our dedication to preserving access to essential medication …” - VP Kamala Harris, White House statement
On May 1, 2024, Vice President Harris condemned new restrictions that Florida had placed on abortions.
“Today, this very day, at the stroke of midnight, another Trump abortion ban went into effect here in Florida. As of this morning 4 million women in this state woke up with fewer reproductive freedoms than they did last night. This is the new reality under a Trump abortion ban.”
(Note: President Trump did not ban abortions. Presidents do not have the power to do so.)
On March 14, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris became the first vice president in American history to visit and tour an abortion facility. Dr. Sarah Traxler, the chief officer of the Planned Parenthood office celebrated her visit as a “historic moment”.
What must we do?
As citizens of this democratic republic, we are called on to protect the country we live in from the creation of unjust and immoral laws. We must discern, pray and then act on the best possible options as we are guided by the Holy Spirit.
We cannot ignore our responsibility. Voting is a simple process in which we do our best. We cannot say that we do not know how to vote, or that we do not know the other issues on the ballot. Our failure to perform our civic duty means we will have committed a sin of omission. We had the chance to stand up for the unborn child, but we chose not to, allowing the voice of immorality to dominate through our silence.
Forty-eight million children have died from abortions in the 51 years since Roe v Wade. We must pray that God, in His mercy, will withhold His judgment on our nation so He can see how we act in defense of His most innocent and vulnerable children.
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. -- Deuteronomy 30:19
Our Father, in His mercy, has answered decades of prayer with the canceling the evil Roe v. Wade decision. We cannot allow this gift of victory over death to be taken away dark-hearted politicians because of our inaction.
As Catholics, we do not owe our allegiance to any politician or any political party. No party or politician can expect us to vote for them because we might have voted for them in the past. If a politician has done a good job, more will be given to them. To a politician who does poorly, all is taken away.
We must vote for candidates whose words and deeds support the life of the unborn. This November, we must choose those who best move our nation closer to the protection of children and the family, even if those candidates are flawed or imperfect.
I, the anonymous writer of this note, have done my best to obey the call I received to encourage you in your duty as an American citizen. The rest is up to you. The last presidential election was decided by just a few tens of thousands of votes out of the many millions cast. Look at the signs of our times, pray fervently, decide and then vote.
May God bless you.
Sources for this document can be found [here].
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