Catholic Pro-Life Leaders Issue Statement on Abortion and Voting Priorities

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 16, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Catholic Pro-Life Leaders Issue Statement on Abortion and Voting Priorities

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 16
, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A group of Catholic leaders met in North Carolina late last week and issued a joint statement regarding the moral obligations of voters in the upcoming election. The group includes the heads of Catholic organizations and influential Catholics in business, politics and media.

The issued a statement making it clear that Catholic voters should take abortion as a priority when evaluating candidates in November and should follow the pro-life teachings of the Catholic Church.

"Catholics who vote should always be guided in their political participation by the moral and social teachings of the Catholic Church" — saying that "especially" is the case regarding pro-life teachings.

"Catholics should recognize that not all moral and social issues have equal weight in determining how to cast their vote because there is a hierarchy of values and their application," the lay leadership group added.

The group goes on to say there should be no compromise when it comes the pro-life issues and voting for candidates who are out of step with pro-life teachings.

"In regard to the ‘life issues,’ no prudential judgment can justify certain acts, such as direct abortion, euthanasia, and the killing of unborn life for medical research," they say.

Saying supporting abortion is a moral evil, they say, "Catholic voters are morally obliged to make decisions about their vote based primarily on issues which admit of no prudential judgment, such as direct abortion."

Fr. Frank Pavone, the director of Priests for Life, Deacon Keith Fournier, and prominent pro-life Catholic writer Deal Hudson wrote and edited the statement for the Catholic Leadership Conference.

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