January 23, 2009
Our Readers
Church has failed in educating parishioners on evils of abortion
To the editor:
After hearing that 54 percent of the Catholic vote went to the most radical pro-abortion candidate ever in history I feel that the Church has really failed in educating parishioners on the evils of abortion. Certainly there are other “Life Issues” to consider but I feel that abortion is the most pressing evil at this time because an unborn child is killed by abortion every 24 seconds, over 50 million since 1973. It is a great cancer on our society.
Our newly elected President has promised to sign into law the “Freedom of Choice Act” that will undo all Pro-Life legislation so fervently fought for since abortion became legal in 1973. Partial Birth Abortion may even become legal again. Unbelievable! Our new Presi-dent said that he would use a pro-abortion litmus test to appoint judges to the Federal/
Supreme Court. Surely the Message and the Bishop knew this but it seemed to hold no weight.
If all Catholic bishops and the Catholic press spoke out against abortion and be leaders as they should be and not show sympathies to pro-abortion candidates, this would go a long way in helping to put an end to abortion. The Message and the Bishop have a platform in which they could be very instrumental in promoting the pro-life cause and help to educate the general public on the evil of abortion. Abortion may not be the only issue to measure a candidate for public office but it should be a most important one.
From what I had read from the Message and the Bishop I come away scratching my head on exactly what my responsibilities are as a Catholic when considering to vote for an extremely pro-abortion candidate. Using the logic from the Bishop and the Message I figure that it would be acceptable to vote for Adolph Hitler as long as I did not vote for him because of his views of the Jewish people. I know this sounds extreme and that the Message and the Bishop would not support Adolph Hitler but the articles from the Bishop and the Message left me so confused on voting responsibly.
I respect the Bishop but I feel he and the Message failed to use this election as a teaching opportunity on the evils of abortion. I feel my local priests, in obedience to the Bishop, did all they could in getting the pro-life message out to parishioners but I also feel they were frustrated at the same time on not being able to be direct. Our Catholic voters are looking to the Church, bishops and priests for guidance on important issues. If no direction is given, how will we know?
I am not condemning anyone for voting for a pro-abortion president but I think those who did have some serious soul searching to do. There are some bishops that say anyone knowingly voting for a pro-abortion candidate should refrain from receiving Holy Communion. Some bishops say it is a matter of conscience. Again there are mixed messages here.
It is clear to me when such carnage is happening right in front or our eyes and we look the other way God will judge us severely. In the case of some of our bishops and our Catholic periodicals, it is as if we are told to sing a little louder so you won’t hear the screams of our aborted children.
God in heaven forgive us for we know not what we do! It’s time to be direct and not be ignorant any longer.
- Edward McAtee | Secretary, Martin County Right to Life | Loogootee
FOCA is an atrocity, unacceptable
To the editor:
I have recently been appalled by the news that the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is set to be signed if Congress passes it on January 21, 2009. This is an atrocity to what we call civilization.
The whole bill is unacceptable to me, but there are two points I would particularly like to address:
1. The invalidation of the ban on partial-birth abortion
Partial-birth abortion is not just a procedure, it is infanticide. The baby that is being mutilated and torn from its mother is a living, feeling human being just as sure as a post-natal infant. I would challenge anyone that thinks such an act should be legal to watch the procedure being performed and be able to say it is humane, let alone that it should be legal. When a pregnant mother is killed and her unborn child does not survive, the perpetrator is convicted of two murders. We prosecute those individuals that abuse and shake their infants to death on one hand and make it legal to kill them on the other hand. Why is there such inconsistency in our laws? Either it is murder or it is not!
2. The invalidation of laws protecting doctors from being forced to do abortions
To make it against the law for a doctor or a nurse to refuse to do abortions is also an atrocity against human rights and in contradiction to the Hippocratic Oath, which is the foundational philosophy of the profession. They would be asked to commit murder. Where are the human rights in that?
Attacking the innocent babies that are the product of sexual indiscretion rather than the problem is because the babies are defenseless and it is the easy way out of a situation. When people that are concerned about these babies’ rights tried to educate the public on what was happening, it was banned as too graphic. Excuse me, but if the act is too horrific to watch perhaps it shouldn’t be happening. I heard people say that regard for all human life would deteriorate when abortion was legalized and Mother Teresa referred to it as the beginning of the end of civilization.
Please, vote against the FOCA.
- Carolyn Reed | Evanville
Grateful for Faith Alive! articles on Christian response to poverty
To the editor:
Thank you for your many articles in last week’s Message about how we can serve Christ in a difficult economy.
For those less fortunate, your articles gave suggestions of places they can go to seek help.
For those who are fortunate, they encouraged us to share what we have and to feed the hungry, as Christ admonished us all. This is one of those times where the sheep will be divided from the goats. Our choices will determine which side we are on; do we conserve, re-use, and share . . . or don’t we?
A tough economy can have many blessings. Extravagance and waste are no longer fashionable. Frugality and careful conservation is.
We must all become careful stewards of our resources. Joseph told Egypt to save food for the years of famine. His conservation in times of plenty — and drought — saved nations during famine. We can learn from his example and better help our neighbors.
As Catholics, our every action serves as a witness for how Christ works through us. When we follow the examples of St. Martin of Tours or of Mother Teresa, we lead others to Christ. The Church has cared for the poor and fed the hungry since its very beginning.
Jesus Christ calls us to do nothing less.
- Mary Biever | Evansville
Election, election coverage disappointing
To the editor:
We are writing this letter on behalf of the pro-life movement, to let you know of our disappointment in the recent election of, not so much your lack of support of pro-life candidates, but you did not have to give glowing articles on pro-abortion candidates.
If all Catholic bishops and the Catholic press would speak out against abortions as they should and not show sympathies to pro-abortion candidates, it would go a long way in putting an end to abortion.
The Message has a perfect platform in which they could be very instrumental in promoting the pro-life cause and educate the public on the evil of abortion and not to use it to hurt the Right-to-Life fight against abortion.
- Michael J. and Linda S. Wichman | Washington