Is it a sin (or other religious offense) for Catholics to vote for candidates who are pro-choice? I know that the church opposes abortion. But has the Church ever stated definitively whether it is permissible for its members to vote for the pro-choice candidates? If you are a member of the clergy or can site the relevant opinion of one, I'd appreciate it if you'd mention that. Thanks!
cristoiglesia
Favorite Answer
It is always a sin to promote, encourage or support mortal sins like murder. In this case the murder is especially morally decadent as it is the mother of the child choosing to murder the most innocent and helpless of mankind. I cannot imagine how any Catholic could justify voting for anyone who would support such evil. God bless!
In Christ
Fr. Joseph
Aleria: United Year Of Faith
The Catholic Church cannot tell one how to vote, but does explain that while we are to look at all the aspects of a candidate, we need to vote primarily upon the subjects of intrinsic evils (abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, eugenics and cloning are some).
The Church states we must look at these first before voting upon things like jobs, war and so on, but there is not a definitive statement from the Church upon whether it is permissible or not for a Catholic to vote for a pro-choice candidate.
But I do believe that because we are to vote first upon the subjects of intrinsic evils that it would be hard for a Catholic to vote for someone who is pro-choice as abortion is an intrinsic evil--especially if the person in question to be voted for or against is very vocal regarding abortion rights and services.
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I have no idea if they're told how to vote, but I think it's kind of ridiculous to disregard a candidate based only on one point of view that they have. Especially since Catholics are known for wanting to help those that are suffering or in difficult situations, and that is much more of a democratic point of view, but yet I think they always tend to vote republican just because of the abortion issue.
sparki777
Because abortion is an intrinsic evil, a Catholic is obliged to vote for candidates who see to end/curtail legalized abortion over candidates who seek to support/promote/expand abortion "rights."
If both/all candidates on the ballot are pro-choice, then you should factor in which candidate places less emphasis on abortion.
If a candidate runs with a pro-life plank in his/her platform but does little or nothing to support pro-life initiatives - or even votes against life issues - that should also be factored into it.
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If the anti-selection candidate helps unjust conflict, the dying penalty, fails social exams on povery action, etc whil ethe professional-selection candidate passes an excellent form of those exams I particularly have a tricky time seeing how the meant incredible line of a place of intrinsic evil can in basic terms come straight away all the way down to abortion, particularly while no professional-selection candidate I particularly have ever considered is professional-abortion. i'm a expert-existence Anglican, with the help of how. i think of it is exciting that the pre-papcy Ratzinger had US clerics deny communion to any professional-selection flesh presser yet had no longer something regardless of to assert approximately politicians who supported teh Iraq conflict, which the Vatican claimed became into unjust. i think it extremely is stated as Myopic. i wish he wasn't claiming to talk from the coaching place of work, else the universe ought to implode at this factor. Edit: particularly, I recalled that Ratzinger DID have something to assert approximately politicians that supported the conflict he got here across to be unjust - that it wasn't as undesirable as being professional-selection because of the fact there's a logical reason and stable purpose whether it became into incorrect. I fail to work out how that doesn't be conscious to each place ever worried with the help of any flesh presser. that's spectacular because of the fact he's a pointy guy. See, i think of he's only trumping up arguments for this, regardless of the indisputable fact that shoddy. hardly looks like the stuff of infallibility, extra like the stuff of regardless of the indisputable fact that i think on a given day.