The Republican Party is the Pro-Life Party but, within the ranks of elected officials, you’ll find different approaches to minimize abortion. Our Republican Mayor in San Diego is not an abolitionist. Former Congressman Brian Bilbray is not an abolitionist. The Republican Governors of Massachusetts, Illinois, and Nevada are not abolitionists. The former Republican Governor of California is not an abolitionist.
I AM an abolitionist but I can see the how, the contributions of Republicans who aren’t, have helped to change public opinion and have reduced the number of abortions on this country.
The Democratic Party has dismissed dissent within its ranks and, for many of my fellow Catholics, this should be frightening. What caused the new DNC Chair to dismiss science and draw a red line around the belief that a baby can be killed on its way through the birth canal ?
Ultrasounds. Not forced ultrasounds but a law which would require an abortionist, with a medical license, to tell an expectant mother that she may request an ultrasound before exterminating her child’s life. The expectant mother can say, “I understand and reject the option of an ultrasound. Please Proceed.” or she can say, ” I’ve seen the ultrasound and wish you to proceed” or she can say, “Wow. That ‘clump of cells” really IS my baby and I’d like to raise my child or put it up for adoption”. Supporting the disclosure of the option of an ultrasound does not violate a woman’s “right to choose” but, if you’re a young. Catholic Democrat running for Mayor in a conservative, midwestern city, you will be shunned if you disagree with the DNC Chair.
To be clear, the DNC Chair has said the support for unrestricted abortion is a “non-negotiable” for ALL Democratic party candidates:
“Every Democrat, like every American, should support a woman’s right to make her own choices about her body and her health,” Perez said in a statement. “That is not negotiable and should not change city by city or state by state.”
I emboldened “not negotiable” for a reason because I am specifically speaking to Catholic Democrats in this essay. We know what “non-negotiables” are in the Church. The Holy Father, who many conservative Catholics believe has shifted the focus away from political “non-negotiables”, is quite clear in Evangelii Gaudium; the defense of human life, from conception to natural death, is a non-negotiable political issue for a practical Catholic.
How does a practical Catholic then operate within the two-party system in these United States? Carefully (to say the least) and thoughtfully (to inspire the best). We look at actions but realize that words have meaning. While The Republican Party platform is clear about the sanctity of life, it does not require fealty to the platform from its candidates. This affords me the opportunity to influence pro-choice Republican candidates to embrace a culture of Life. We saw this specifically in the candidacies of Carl DeMaio and Jacquie Atkinson. When each announced as candidates to oppose Scott Peters, they stated a pro-choice position which was identical to Nancy Pelosi’s. When each met with abolitionists within the Republican Party, they recognized that, while they may not share the abolitionist position, they CERTAINLY didn’t share the thoughtless position the Democrats hold on unrestricted abortion. A practical Catholic can work with pro-choice Republicans to advance a culture of life in the public sphere and those pro-choice Republicans don’t feel threatened or marginalized.
This latest edict from the Democrats is nothing short of a proclamation of war against Catholic Democrats. While the anti-Catholic bigotry within the Democratic Party is documented in the Clinton staffers’ emails, as far back as 2011, the Democratic party has it quite clear that your support for a culture of Life has no place whatsoever in the modern Democratic Party….and that’s a BIG problem.
I am a Republican, a Republican since I turned 18 and a fairly active one. I could use this as an opportunity to invite you to join our ranks but I want to speak to a much bigger issue here– your party, the Democratic Party, is becoming increasingly irrelevant on a national scale and that worries me. While I am a Republican, I am a Catholic and American before that. I recognize that political parties are simply coalitions of people, who share common values, to promote public policy. As a libertarian, I think a vibrant opposition party is needed to maintain the balance of powers which holds unrestricted government in check.
Our republic needs Catholics to work within the Democratic Party as much as it needs gay people to work within the Republican Party. Your party’s rhetoric, about serving marginalized people, is oftentimes more in touch with the average American than my party’s rhetoric is but, in the Democratic Party’s desire to appease every special interest group, it is marginalizing what we Catholics believe to be the most vulnerable of human beings; the unborn.
The Democratic Party has officially said that support for unborn children is “not negotiable” within its ranks. The Church is clear that we, as Catholics, are commanded to negotiate for the unborn. We can’t do that with a political party which refuses to negotiate at all.
Be not afraid, Catholic Democrats. Your party chairman adopted this extreme position because of an ultrasound. Call him on the carpet or join the Republican Party.