Catholics United

I grew up Catholic. I left the church and eventually Christianity decades ago. But I always have some affection for Catholics. It was in part for me part of an ethnic identity. Although my ethnic heritage is mixed (Portuguese, Cherokee, French, English and more), my father's first language was Portuguese. I remember fondly our family going to Portuguese Catholic celebrations and feasts.

So, I sometimes notice what is going on with Catholics, especially progressive and thoughtful Catholics. Catholics United is one of those organizations that caught my eye in this recent election. I have already posted content from one of their campaigns on how we can do our best to reduce actions against life. I think most Americans are like me. I support the right to choose, believing that a woman's body is her own; yet I experience qualms about this matter.

It is so easy to see so-called "pro-life" groups as caring only about "the unborn," ignoring the "already born." There are so many issues of lost lives (war, capital punishment) and of life quality issues (poverty, malnutrition, lacking health care). Those are usually ignored by the so-called "pro-life" groups.

Catholics United is a notable exception. They genuinely care not only about life after birth but about reducing the conditions that lead to more not less abortions. I encourage all who truly want to reduce abortions and to care about the quality of life after birth to visit this web site:

http://www.catholics-united.org/

McCain & Palin are not pro-life

John McCain and Sarah Palin bill themselves as pro-life, but the truth is that they are not. They are anti-abortion and anti-choice. That much is true. In fact Palin wants no woman to have the choice over this important matter in any circumstance. But being anti-abortion and anti-choice does not equal being pro-life.

I am not Catholic, but I love the position of Catholics United. Here is what they have to say in their new flyer:

"The BEST way to combat abortion is to give women and families the tools they need to choose life.

Studies consistently show that when women and families have health care, jobs, education, and other essential supports they are less likely to have an abortion. In fact, more than three out of four women who obtain an abortion say that economic factors were a primary reason for doing so. Instead of helping struggling American families, our leaders have left them to fend for themselves.

Being pro-life is 1 percent talk, 99 percent ACTION.

Being pro-life is not just about what our elected leaders say they believe. It’s about the things they do. During the Clinton Administration, the U.S. abortion rate declined nearly 30 percent without enacting any legal prohibitions on abortion. Under President Bush, this decline stagnated. Even the appointment of two new Supreme Court justices was unsuccessful in making any meaningful progress toward building a culture of human life. For all its talk about being pro-life the Bush Administration hasn’t protected a single unborn child.

Pro-life means ALL human life - WITHOUT exceptions.

How can our leaders say they are pro-life, while starting unjustified wars, supporting torture, opposing expanded health care for children, cutting school lunch programs, and standing by as hard-working Americans lose their jobs and retirement protections? They can’t. To be pro-life is to answer a deep call to support and defend human life at all stages - from conception until death. It means caring for the unborn, for the children, for the less fortunate, and for all hard-working Americans.

Overturning Roe v. Wade will NOT end abortion in America.

All too often, what passes for an authentic pro-life agenda is a candidate’s stated opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. While legal protections for the unborn are an important part of a pro-life strategy, overturning Roe v. Wade would simply let states decide whether abortion should be legal or illegal. In a post-Roe America, only a handful of states would impose penalties on those who obtain or perform abortions, and women living in these states could still go elsewhere to get an abortion. Overturning Roe cannot be seen as a substitute for policies that can work RIGHT NOW to end abortion, namely supporting women and families."

For the flyer and more information from this organization, visit:

http://www.catholics-united.org/