Saturday, August 14, 2004

Catholics for Kerry???

I let out a pretty good laugh when I first heard Sam Kinnison say that "Rock against Drugs" was like "Christians against Christ". Then I ran across this website. Catholics for Kerry??? What the... OK. "I'll bite" said I, as I perused the Catholic Q&A section. I thought this excerpt was particularly interesting:

"Q: What difference is there, if any, between pro-choice and pro-abortion?
A: Pro-choice is not pro-abortion. Pro-choice means that one believes that freedom is necessary for full human dignity and that human beings are generally competent and responsible and should be trusted to make intensely personal choices on issues that impact their lives. This choice includes the right of a woman to make the very personal, private and often gut-wrenching decision about her pregnancy. A pro-abortion position would refer to a position that sees abortion per se as a positive and good thing and advocates it as such. Very few, if any, pro-choice advocates are pro-abortion. Most pro-choice advocates are simply advocating the right for women to have that freedom to choose, which is not the same thing as promoting abortions. The emphasis is on restoring the dignity of women and empowering women to have a say in issues that affect them."

Pardon me while I light the fuse on my first electronic pipe bomb! Pro-choice is not pro-abortion? Call it what you want but this rose by any other name still looks like a dead baby to me. To help put this into perspective, let's rewrite this song and dance routine and sing it to the tune of, "I'm Scott Peterson and I've got rights too". Ready? OK.

Pro-choice is not pro-murder. Pro-choice means that one believes that freedom is necessary for full human dignity and that human beings are generally competent and responsible and should be trusted to make intensely personal choices on issues that impact their lives. This choice includes the right of a man to make the very personal, private and often gut-wrenching decision about his marital status. A pro-murder position would refer to a position that sees murder per se as a positive and good thing and advocates it as such. Very few, if any, pro-choice advocates are pro-murder. Most pro-choice advocates are simply advocating the right for men to have that freedom to choose, which is not the same thing as promoting murder. The emphasis is on restoring the dignity of men and empowering men to have a say in issues that affect them.

See pro-choice folks? Assuming Scott is guilty, he is still no more a killer than your average woman who's had an abortion. He's simply made a gut wrenching decision about his personal life.
I for one find all of this semantic BS appalling. To be a pro-choice Catholic is to be a "Christian against Christ". There is no such thing. You are Catholic, OR you are pro-choice. There is no "and". The fact that John Kerry calls himself a Catholic has no relevance to whether he is or is not a Catholic. I could say, "I'm as rich as John Kerry", but it wouldn't put half a billion dollars in my bank account. Catholics live their faith and repent for their transgressions. John Kerry is no Catholic.

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