Column: Voting for Life Matters—Especially Now

Friends, as I said in my homily on Respect Life Sunday, politics is always downstream of culture. People advocate for abortion because their hearts are hardened against the gospel message that all human life is precious, beginning at conception. Ultimately, we need to change hearts—but for the first time in nearly 50 years, the “right” to an abortion is no longer protected nationwide. Abortion policy is now in the hands of the states again, which means our state elections matter this year in a way they haven’t for a generation.

From the Election Year Statement from the Catholic Bishops of Minnesota (online at mncatholic.org/electionresources):

Faithful citizenship

We encourage Catholics and other advocates for human life to step proactively into the political debate both winsomely and charitably, and to use creatively all peaceable levers of political power to prudently, and incrementally, transform our cities and our state into places that respect the human rights of the unborn by welcoming them in life and protecting them by law. Part of that work is voting. A representative democracy such as ours requires that the citizenry elect good people into office and continue to inform their elected representatives of their views on important issues. Unfortunately, many candidates are openly advocating for Minnesota to become an abortion sanctuary state with taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, as well as pledging to deregulate the abortion industry by removing safeguards put in place to protect women from medical malpractice or to protect teenage girls from ill-considered abortions. Far too many others, moreover, although professing to be pro-life on paper, are going out of their way to avoid talking about Minnesota’s future as a potential abortion sanctuary or what should be done to limit abortion, preferring to avoid the subject altogether. In this situation, it is incumbent on the Catholic laity to be especially proactive in speaking to candidates about prenatal justice and supporting legislative and judicial efforts to limit abortion. The effect of proactive engagement with candidates, not just in this election cycle but also during their term of office, will give courage and political will to those who support pro-life policies in principle, and moderate the pro-abortion extremism of other candidates and elected officials. Catholics cannot expect just laws will be enacted without their faithful citizenship and building relationships with legislators. That is what faithful citizenship is all about.

Combating abortion is a pre-eminent concern in public life

As Archbishop José Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has noted, calling abortion a pre-eminent concern does not mean it is the only concern.  Ensuring that every human life is welcomed in life and respected by law does not end at birth.  As discussed above, we believe that our Catholic faith leads us to promote an eco-system of public policy that promotes human flourishing for mother and child from conception to natural death. What we seek to emphasize here is that, just as the bishops of the United States have identified the ending of abortion as a preeminent policy priority, so too should Catholic voters make protecting innocent human life and stopping abortion extremism a preeminent consideration in our voting calculus.

With these words in mind, please get informed, get to the polls, and vote on November 8. We can change the trajectory of abortion in Minnesota. We can save lives.

Father Brian Park
Pastor