October 28, 2016

Letters to the Editor

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Rise above party politics, promote the common good, and vote for life, reader says

As Catholics get ready to vote in the general election, they should remember that some issues are more important than others.

The most important issue of all is the right to life because all other rights are meaningless without it. Only those who are alive can exercise their civil rights, pursue earthly happiness, or labor for their eternal salvation.

From a Catholic perspective, problems that affect the quality of life, such as poverty, health care, immigration, or refugee resettlement, though important, do not carry the same moral weight as problems that threaten the basic life principle, such as abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, or same-sex “marriage.”

On quality-of-life issues, a Catholic can take one side or the other without acting against the faith, but on matters of principle, the only moral choice to be made is on the side of life.

Unfortunately, politicians often cloud the issue when they try to justify the

non-existent right to abortion under the pretext of “helping people,” as if they could help people by killing people. This is nonsense.

As long as a pro-life alternative is available, a Catholic may not, in good conscience, vote for a pro-abortion candidate, regardless of his or her position on quality-of-life issues.

Not only does a vote against life make one complicit in the murder of unborn children, it contributes to the loss of religious freedom. It is no coincidence that defenders of abortion and same-sex marriage seek to criminalize Christianity and brand the Bible as “hate speech.” Sinners simply do not want to be reminded of their sins.

So I urge my fellow Catholics to rise above party politics, promote the common good, and vote for life on Nov. 8. If not for your country or your Church, please do it for the sake of your immortal soul.

- Stephen L. Bussell | Indianapolis

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