St. Louis Post-Dispatch Examines Efforts By Catholic Bishops To Reinforce Abortion Position With Followers

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 18 Nov 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday examined efforts by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to reinforce the church's position on abortion rights and regain support from Roman Catholics who voted for President-elect Barack Obama against the urging of church officials. The Post-Dispatch reports that 54% of Catholics voted for Obama in 2008; by contrast, 52% of Catholics voted for President Bush in 2004. At the conference's annual fall meeting last week, bishops discussed possible explanations for the shift in voting patterns. According to the Post-Dispatch, bishops attending the meeting "together represent the strongest and most influential organized voice opposing Roe v. Wade."

Although it is "true that every Catholic bishop holds the same theological position against abortion, they do not all agree on the pastoral effectiveness of telling Catholics how to vote," the Post-Dispatch reports. During the conference, critics of the church's official voting guide -- "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" -- argued that the document did not go far enough in stressing abortion as the No. 1 voting issue for Catholics. According to the voting guide, abortion is "deeply flawed" and "always opposed to the authentic good of persons." The voting guide also emphasized the church's position on other social justice issues, such as poverty, health care, the environment and workers' rights. Some bishops "pounded" left-leaning Catholic organizations -- such as Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good -- for using language from the voting guide's passage on social justice issues to "sway" independent Catholics to vote for Obama, the Post-Dispatch reports. During the campaign, the groups argued that the bishops' focus on abortion undermined the importance of other social justice issues, such as war and health care.

Bishops also spoke out against the Freedom of Choice Act, which would codify abortion-rights protections granted by Roe. Obama has said he would sign the act if approved by Congress. The Post-Dispatch reports that several bishops said that Catholic health care facilities would close if FOCA "forced health care workers to perform abortions." In addition, Chicago Cardinal Francis George released a statement saying that the law "would have lethal consequences for prenatal human life," adding that bishops "are single-minded because they are, first of all, single-hearted." According to the Post-Dispatch, the "intended message" of George's statement is that "efforts to steer the nation on a moral course are useless without God's favor, and God's favor cannot be gained by expanding access to abortion or codifying it into law."

The Post-Dispatch also examined efforts by Bishop Robert Hermann -- interim leader of the St. Louis archdiocese -- to warn Catholic voters that they should not vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights (Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/16).

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