War on the conscience

By Tom Quiner

Should a Catholic be required by force of law to aid and abet abortion?

Before you answer, consider what Catholics believe. Here is what paragraph 2271 says in the Catholic Catechism:

“Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.”

The president disagrees. He believes abortion is the essence of morality. To that aim, he instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to mandate that all insurance plans cover all FDA-approved contraceptives as part of Obamacare’s sweeping powers. This includes the abortion-inducing drug ella.

This is more than a concern to Catholics, it is a crisis. The catechism is clear on the seriousness of abortion:

“From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a “criminal” practice (GS 27 § 3), gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life.”

The president now mandates Catholics to subsidize abortion-inducing drugs with their insurance premiums, an action that violates the conscience rights of Catholics, Jews, Muslims, fundamentalist Christians, and Baptists who consider abortion to be the equivalent of infanticide.

The president wants them to participate in what they believe is gravely contrary to the moral law.

Republicans have stepped forward with a bill called The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act. Among other things, it amends Obamacare to protect conscience rights, which includes the right to enroll in health care coverage in line with a person’s religious and moral convictions.

It also gives health care providers protection from being coerced by the government to provide abortion-related products and services contrary to their religious and moral convictions.

The president will fight this bill.

So will the Democratic Party.

And most of all, so will Planned Parenthood.

This is why Quiner’s Diner’s previous posts about a local snafu here in Des Moines is so relevant, so important.

Read them below.

A Catholic High School here in Des Moines intended to honor an alum who had fifty years of distinguished service in Des Moines since her graduation from that high school. But it was discovered that she had served on the board for Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood fights tooth and nail to prevent conscience protection for practicing Catholics.

Think about. Catholics believe abortion is a threat to their very souls.

Planned Parenthood aggressively works to impose that threat on decent people of faith, consciences-be-damned.

Of course a Catholic high school can’t honor someone who publicly supports such an organization.

Ironically, Catholics have traditionally supported the Democratic Party.

Democrats have made it very difficult to do so in light of their war on the Catholic conscience.

1 Comment

  1. Tom Maly on September 3, 2011 at 1:55 pm

    Tom,
    Nicely done.
    Clearly, the economic havoc and the degree of government intrusion wreaked by “Obamacare” is sufficient cause for concern.
    The moral issues about which you have written makes it all the more imperative that Barack Obama be defeated in 2012 and Obamacare be discarded in the dustbin of history.