Life Matters
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Monday, October 13, 2008 9:29 AM
Any pro-lifer who always votes pro-life and is vocal about it has probably gotten flack about being a “one-issue voter.” In our society, the term carries some negative connotations.
You can see why. If you knew someone who always voted for the candidate whose policies he thought would bring gas prices down the most, you’d wonder a little about his priorities.
However, being a one-issue voter is different when the issue is abortion.
As I always say to people who challenge me on it: abortion has been politicized but it is not really a political issue. It is a life issue.
Recognizing that life begins at conception means recognizing that there is no legitimate difference of opinion on whether abortion should be allowed.
I realize that this is a strong statement, but I’m convinced that the political culture in this country has managed to shift our perspective on the issue of abortion subtly, so that many of us now think of it as something less horrifying than it actually is.
The truth is that there is no metaphysical difference between the killing of an unborn child and the killing of a two-year-old child. None at all.
If nearly 4,000 two-year-olds were being deliberately killed in our country every day, every one of us would be outraged. No candidate for any office would dream of taking a position in favor of anyone’s “right” to kill a two-year-old.
Yet because of the particular physical circumstances - age, development, and location - that make it easy to dehumanize children who are not yet born, our culture has managed to make it acceptable to be in favor of a “right” to kill the unborn. It’s considered “loving” and “tolerant,” even!
It’s hard not to be swayed by this influence. It’s hard not to start believing that being “reasonable” on the subject of abortion means shutting our eyes to the outrage that it is. But we must recognize what a crime it is against the babies and against their mothers that our society teaches women it is okay to have their unborn children killed.
We must stand against our culture on this issue.
This means praying for everyone involved. It means offering the truth to pregnant mothers and working to provide them with the resources they need to care for their unborn babies. It means speaking out on the subject of abortion as charitably and persuasively as possible whenever we get the chance.
In my opinion, it also means acknowledging the awful reality of abortion by being an unabashed one-issue voter. It means rejecting politicians who are in favor of legal abortion, because it is vital that the laws of our nation advance a culture of life. (The US Bishops have emphasized this point.) Voting on abortion first and foremost - and exclusively if necessary - is a way of saying, “This is, essentially, the same thing as killing two-year-olds, and we will not accept any politician who supports a ‘right’ for people to do it.”
This is why I vote only for political candidates who favor overturning Roe v. Wade and giving our states the chance to achieve justice by protecting the rights of the unborn in law.
I refuse to let anyone convince me that this kind of one-issue voting is narrow-minded. On this topic, my eyes are wide open.
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