As a practicing Catholic, I will continue to receive communion no matter what Rev. Jay Scott Newman stated in his letter to those who attend St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, South Carolina.
Abortion is the reason given by Rev. Newman where he opined of it that it, "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil." There are many other evils such as an illegal war in Iraq. If he is using the abortion as a litmus test, I have read accounts that this most heinous war has taken the lives of babies (I have seen their pictures) and where mothers exposed to depleted uranium have feared giving birth to their children who they fear may be born with devastating birth defects. If that is not evil, I do not know what else is.
In the case of abortion, the government leaves it up to a woman’s right to choose whereas war is not anyone’s choice but those who wage it and we the citizens of the United States have had no say in the conduct of this war.
Hopefully things will change with our incoming president, President-Elect Barack Obama.
When Rev. Newman stated those who voted for now President-Elect Barack Obama are putting their “souls at risk”, as an outspoken critic of this heinous war, I do opine that my soul is not at risk.
I would question his opinion that, "Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists” by asking him what alternatives? Yes, I realize there is adoption: But reality tells us that white newborn babies which are sought after by couples who are not able to have children of their own are rare and hard to find. Often times if a couple cannot find such a child, they are relegated to foreign adoptions which are becoming intrinsically harder since many foreign governments have clamped down on these adoptions. I know this personally since I am the aunt of an adopted child who is now a young woman.
When it comes to minorities, if forced to carry a pregnancy to term: Exactly who is going to pay for their prenatal care and guarantee the child born to that woman is given medical care? As it stands now, the United States does not have health care for all. Are those who oppose abortion going to step up to the plate to demand that our government guarantees these women health care?
This is where I have always seen the hypocrisy of the pro-life movement.
According to PBS (Public Broadcasting System), they reported in an article dated October of 2008, "the United States has a higher infant mortality rate than most developed countries, and the gap appears to be widening. The U.S. rank has been steadily worsening: in 1960, the U.S. was ranked 12th in the world; by 2004, the U.S. fell to 29th, tied with Poland and Slovakia, and worse than Japan, Cuba, and most of the European Union (2004 is the most recent international comparative data published by the CDC). The infant mortality rate in the US currently stands at 6.86 infant deaths per 1,000.”
In her acceptance speech at the RNC, Governor Sarah Palin castigated Venezuela and in Venezuela, they have health care for all and that includes pregnant women and the children born to those women. In fact, in Venezuela, abortion is illegal except where the life of the mother is in danger.
There is an evil that resides within this nation where thousands upon thousands have lost their jobs due to this economic crisis. How many of them who have lost their jobs also lost their health care? Out of those numbers, how many are and have been pregnant? Those are exactly the people now President-Elect Barack Obama fought for during the presidential campaign and will continue to fight for as our 44th President of the United States.
Another evil not even mentioned by this priest are the CEOs who have benefited from these bailouts while these laid off workers have suffered and will continue to suffer. While they travel, many Americans are faced with a true and real evil of how they are going to eat, today, tomorrow and into the future. Many will be forced out of their homes and that includes pregnant women.
In an about face, President Bush’s Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, restructured the $700 billion dollar bailout so that it will not include the purchase of troubled bank assets meaning mortgages. How many pregnant women in that move did he just kick out onto the street?
I do think that both parties can find common ground to ensure that abortions are rare and where the numbers decrease. Like it or not, the Catholic church as well as other religious organizations have got to get on board when it comes to prevention and that means sex education in our schools. Abstinence only programs do not work. We as a society must use all that is available to us to teach teenage children how to use each and every method of birth control since many are not learning this at home. President-Elect Barack Obama has reached out to parents concerning their responsibility to turn off the video games and read or do other physical activities and I will go him one better. A parent must be able to teach their children, no condom, no sex. I have.
While I do not like abortion, I must realize that I have no say in another woman’s right to choose should she choose abortion. Tomorrow being Sunday, I will go to mass and receive communion knowing in my soul I have at least addressed many moral issues that have plagued our society in past years.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
