Abortion, Religious Liberty, and Voting

The sections of this page are listed in the Table of Contents below. To view any particular section, you can either use the links in the Table of Contents or you can scroll down the page through all sections until you reach that section. But, first, benefit from this overview of key content:

Before you delve into the content below, take 5 minutes to see what abortion is and what it does:

First, take 3 minutes to view the video "Olivia" to see the beautiful development of a baby from conception to birth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-lQOooYAs8

Then, take 2 minutes to watch an obstetrician demonstrate the abortion procedure in his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee:

https://tfpstudentaction.org/media/videos/doctor-destroys-abortion

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS: ABORTION, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, AND VOTING

To view any particular section, click on the section heading or scroll down the page through all sections until you reach the section that interests you.

 

  1. DISAPPOINTED WITH BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES? TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE?
  2. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S CHANGED POSITION ON ABORTION
  3. THE REPUBLICANS HAVE SOFTENED ON ABORTION: CAN I VOTE FOR THEM?!"
  4. EXORCIST FATHER RIPPERGER: VOTE FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS
  5. THE DOCTRINAL PRINCIPLE OF THE LESSER EVIL - Dr. Roberto De Mattei
  6. Archbishop Viganò endorses Trump, tells Catholics abstaining ‘means allying oneself with the enemy’
  7. Father Chris Alar, MIC: The Moral Responsibility of a Catholic in This Historic Election: on YouTube: U.S. Grace Force episode of October 30, with Father Richard Heilman and Doug Barry: "There is a moral obligation, that every Catholic and ultimately every Christian, must use our God-given voices to put into power leaders who will uphold the truth of the 3 basic non-negotiables that will protect and preserve society. Fr. Chris Alar explains that if we do not make the better choices in this historic election, and every election, then we run the risk of our country actually ceasing to exist."
  8. WHAT WOULD AMERICANS DO WITH ANOTHER TRUMP PRESIDENCY?
  9. HOMILY BY VERY REVEREND JOHN LANKEIT
  10. CANDIDATES ENDORSED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD

 

DISAPPOINTED WITH BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES? TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE?

While "Knowingly voting for someone who is pro-abortion” is identified as a mortal sin in the reconciliation guide, “Examination of Conscience”*, if there are only two candidates and one promotes abortions at any time up until birth while the other is against abortions, for example, after 6 weeks after conception, voting for the latter is a means of lessening evil, saving many babies from a horribly painful death. When we have the choice of either doing nothing and thereby allowing evil to propagate without limits or taking action to lessen evil, the moral course of action is clear.  Exorcist Father Chad Ripperger makes this clear in his statements below, as does Dr. Roberto de Mattei, Professor Emeritus at the University of Rome.

In the sections below, we address the understandable qualms that staunchly conscientious Pro-Life people have in regard to voting for candidates who don't forbid abortion from the moment of conception and are troubled by the "more relaxed" approach to abortion presented in the July 2024 Republican Party Platform compared to the 2016 Platform. See below for a Protestant Christian evaluation regarding "the lesser of two evils".

Consider our evaluation of the import of the July 2024 Platform. Evaluate the details of this document in regard to abortion in the Sanctity of Life section of Party Platforms Comparison.

 Neglecting to vote is not an option: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states (No. 2240) that it is “morally obligatory to pay taxes, exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country”. Father Ripperger reiterates our obligation to vote in "lesser of two evils" situations in his above-referenced statements below.

*Author: Father Robert Altier, with the Imprimatur of Harry J. Flynn, D.D., Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S CHANGED POSITION ON ABORTION

Many Pro-Life Christians are feeling betrayed by the Republican Party's shift away from its strong Pro-Life position as stated in the 2016 Republican Party Platform, because, in fact, life begins at conception and any abortion by any means, regardless of elapsed time after conception (in weeks, days, or a nanosecond) is the taking of a human life, as is the case in the process of in vitro fertilization ("IVF"), in which multiple embryos are killed in order to select one for implantation in the uterus. (See below* for links to USCCB website articles on IVF.) Disturbingly to the editors of this website, both Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have been lenient in regard to abortions up to 6 weeks from conception and in regard to IVF. Also of great concern are J.D. Vance's statements regarding abortion pills. Here are factors to be taken into consideration, not to justify these unjustifiable statements but to take into consideration in making voting decisions:

  1. Actions speak louder than words. Link here for the actions taken by President Trump during his 2016-2020 Presidency.
  2. Link here to the Priests for Life website listing of the Pro-Life accomplishments of the 2016-2020 Administration of President Trump.
  3. Link here for the record and position of Kamala Harris in regard to abortion.
  4. Link here for the record and position of Tim Walz in regard to abortion
  5. Link here to compare the platforms of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.
  6. The 2016 Republican Party Platform was current and unamended until the publication of the July 8th platform document, thus it provides an indication of the values and beliefs of Republican candidates running for election in November, just as the pre-existing Democratic Party Platform provides an indication of the values and beliefs of Democrat candidates.
  7. The July 8th Republican Party Platform document is effectively a brief addendum to the lengthy 2016 Platform, addressing today's issues without revoking or cancelling the provisions of the 2016 Platform.
  8. On November 5, we will be voting on which of two paths our nation will take in regard to the sanctity of human life. One path clearly and emphatically leads our nation downward, allowing babies in the womb to be cruelly killed until birth, despite the fact that it is known that babies in the womb feel pain as of ten weeks after conception. The other path, while flawed, is a path of hope and possibility for babies in their mother's womb, with their fate determined by the votes of the people of their mother's State**, and with leaders who have been drawn to the Party that has always been Pro-Life and who will appoint Pro-Life judges.
  9. Significantly and astutely, the Washington Post notes that the July 8th Republican Party Platform "still includes language that links abortion to the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, leaving open a path to legislation or court decisions that would grant fetuses additional legal rights." This is a sound observation. The 14th Amendment states, "No state will deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, and no state will deny any person the equal protection of the laws." Once it is acknowledged that life begins at conception (as science has confirmed) then there is a person in the mother's womb at that instant, with the rights set forth in the 14th Amendment.

 

 

  • * Link to the USCCB website for: Facts about IVF.
  • * Link to the USCCB website for: Catholic Church's Direction re IVF.
  • Learn about the entire process of IVF in this 3-minute entertaining (tongue in cheek) video on the brilliant Choice42.com website: Build-A-Baby
  • ** The July 8th Republican Party Platform states, "Republicans will protect and defend a vote of the people , from within the States, on the Issue of Life. We proudly stand for families and Life."

"THE REPUBLICANS HAVE SOFTENED ON ABORTION: HOW CAN I VOTE FOR THEM?!"

 

The content in quotation marks below is quoted from “Voting: Lesser of Two Evils vs. Lessening Evil” by John Stonestreet, appearing on the Colson Center website, www.breakpoint.org

 

·        ““It’s our duty as citizens of the kingdom of God to be the best citizens of the society we live in. To do that, we must vote.” – Chuck Colson”

·        “Not voting in order to “keep our hands clean” is a form of pietism, not Christianity. Saint James is clear that if there is good that we can do, we must do it: “Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:17, RSV-CE) Dietrich Bonhoeffer, even in the face of far worse political realities than ours, rejected pietism as being contrary to Christian responsibility.”

·        “But how then should we vote? Often, Christians and other citizens of conscience describe voting as choosing between “the lesser of two evils.” My former colleague Kevin Bywater suggests a better approach. Christians, he said, should think of voting as a way of “lessening evil.” Not only does this approach better fit the political realities of our particular context, it recognizes the inherent limits of politics even while maintaining principle. Also, voting to lessen evil acknowledges the moral inadequacies of candidates while still seeking to accomplish good through voting.”

·        Consider, for example, which candidate for the Presidency will minimize the evil that would be done by the “3,000 to 5,000 personnel, especially the unelected, rule-making department heads—that come with each administration. The heads of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Education (ED), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have been incredibly consequential in every recent administration, as are judicial nominations. For example, under President Obama, the HHS Secretary forced employers to provide contraceptives and abortifacients to employees free of charge and irrespective of religious beliefs. Without Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, or Coney Barrett* there would be no Dobbs ruling. And since Dobbs, there have been all kinds of department-level maneuverings to advance abortion at the state and federal levels. Title IX regulations are interpreted and reinterpreted under each administration by unelected officials that are appointed by the president.'


*all nominated by President Trump, honoring his pre-election commitment to appoint Pro-Life judges.

 

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Leading Exorcist Father Ripperger: "Your obligation is to vote for the lesser of two evils"

 

In a recent interview on Virgin Most Power Radio (VMPR.org) with hosts Jesse Romero and Terry Barber, renowned Roman Catholic Exorcist Father Chad Ripperger provided direction for voters considering the option of not voting when faced with the choice of two evils of varying degree. A transcript of Father Ripperger's interview statements is provided below. Link to witness Father Ripperger's interview statements on YouTube: Father Ripperger: "Vote for the lesser of two evils"

 

Here is a transcript of Father Ripperger's statements in this interview, referring to the upcoming 2024 election and the differing positions of the two political candidates on the issue of abortion:


"And so people will say, ‘Well, yeah, but right now we’ve got, for example, candidates who are not perfect. One actually holds stuff that’s really evil, another guy holds stuff that’s also evil, but it’s not as bad..." etc…

Discussion of this kind has been reiterated throughout the history of the church, all the way up and through Pope Saint John Paul II, who had actually talked about it. But the basic principle is, in a situation like that, then your obligation is to vote for the lesser of two evils.

In the lesser of two evils, people say, ‘Well, you’re voting for evil.’ No, actually, you’re not voting for evil. When you’re voting for a lesser evil, you’re not voting for the person’s evil or the evil that the thing is doing. What you’re voting for is to preserve the good that would be lost if the other opponent got in, the one who’s more evil, or if the legislation got passed, which was actually even worse."

 

The editors at HolyFamilyHelpus give full credit (and thanks) for finding and publishing this helpful guidance to Breitbart News and the August 21st story on Breitbart's website, Leading Exorcist Explains How to Vote for the Lesser of Two Evils. Breitbart's article concludes, paraphrasing Father Ripperger, " So, when agonizing between two candidates, you’re not voting for the evil that the flawed but morally superior candidate would do. You’re voting for the good they would do, and that would otherwise be lost if the morally inferior candidate won. And with that, Father Ripperger has exorcised you of all your excuses for not voting."

 

SCROLL DOWN TO THE NEXT SECTION FOR DR. ROBERTO DE MATTEI ON "THE DOCTRINAL PRINCIPLE OF THE LESSER EVIL".

 

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THE DOCTRINAL PRINCIPLE OF THE LESSER EVIL - DR. ROBERTO DE MATTEI OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ROME

Professor Roberto de Mattei: Catholics can vote for Trump as lesser of two evils

The link above takes you to an August 29th article on the website of LifeSite News.

This article provides a link to an article by Roberto de Mattei, professor emeritus at the University of Rome. Following are excerpts from this excellent article, found here:

https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2024/08/catholics-and-us-presidential-elections.html?m=1

Catholics and the U.S. Presidential Elections: Donald Trump clearly is the choice from a Catholic perspective:

There is a Catholic doctrine of the lesser evil that can be summarized in these terms: 

1. One can never positively and directly commit even the slightest evil; 

 2. to avoid a greater evil, one may tolerate a lesser evil committed by others, provided one does not approve of it as such and remembers the existence of a greater good to strive for. 

This doctrine is fundamental for orientation in a confused age in which the notion of the principle has been lost: “Bonum ex integra causa, malum ex quocumque defectu”(St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-IIae, q. 18, a. 4 ad 3).

In light of this principle, a Catholic can never vote for or approve an abortion law, even a minimal one, but he or she can vote for a candidate who is not an integral anti-abortionist.  That is why it is permissible for an American Catholic to vote for Donald Trump, whose positions on abortion, as Edward Feser notes, leave much to be desired .

The Democratic vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz, a leading member of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, is, if possible, even more left-wing than Kamala Harris. Despite the media's insistence on Kamala Harris's moderation, if the Democrats win in November the process of moral decay in the United States will be accelerated by the Harris-Walz ticket, among the most progressive in the history of this country.  

It is a pity that the Republican Party has failed to produce any candidate better than Donald Trump, but Kamala Harris certainly represents the greatest evil to be avoided. Trump deserves to be criticized on many points, but it is not fair to gift victory to Harris by voting for her or abstaining from voting.

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Archbishop Viganò endorses Trump, tells Catholics abstaining ‘means allying oneself with the enemy’

Archbishop Viganò endorses Trump

The link above takes you to an October 22nd article on the website of LifeSite News.

This article provides a link to a video of Life Site News' John-Henry Westen's reading of Archbishop Vigano's October 22nd open letter to all American Catholics, key contents of which are quoted in this article, including the following:

"Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has thrown his full support behind Donald Trump as the next president of the U.S. and called upon American Catholics to vote for Trump on November 5 as a moral imperative.

In an open letter addressed to Catholics in America, Viganò, the former apostolic nuncio to the United States, urged the faithful to vote for Trump as the “only possible choice” for president to oppose the “deep state” and protect “future generations,” echoing his previous claims that only Trump stands in the way of a “globalist coup.” The archbishop suggested that “voting for Kamala Harris,” on the other hand, “is morally inadmissible and constitutes a very grave sin,” adding that to abstain from voting would not be “morally possible,” since “in this war declaring oneself neutral means allying oneself with the enemy.”

Viganò, who is a long-time supporter of Trump’s political candidacy, argued in his Tuesday letter that a vote for Trump “means firmly distancing ourselves from an anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, and anti-human vision of society” while at the same time noting “serious problems” with the former president’s declared positions on both abortion and “assisted procreation [IVF],” which he said “a Catholic cannot agree with.”

Indeed, Trump has stated that he would oppose a federal ban on abortion and would mandate insurance coverage for in-vitro fertilization (IVF), both of which practices violate natural law and the explicit doctrine of the Catholic Church.

Viganò wrote that Trump, whom he said “is paying with his very life for his fight against the deep state” in refence to recent assassination attempts, represents “the only possible choice to counter the globalist coup that the woke Left is about to implement definitively, irreparably, and with incalculable damage for future generations.” The prelate added that if Catholics were to assist in placing Trump back in the White House, it must become for him “the premise for a more incisive commitment to the defense of life from conception to natural death, the traditional family, the right of parents to educate their children, and to the defense of the Christian faith and the cultural identity of the nation.”

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Father Chris Alar, MIC: The Moral Responsibility of a Catholic in This Historic Election: on YouTube: U.S. Grace Force episode of October 30, with Father Richard Heilman and Doug Barry: "There is a moral obligation, that every Catholic and ultimately every Christian, must use our God-given voices to put into power leaders who will uphold the truth of the 3 basic non-negotiables that will protect and preserve society. Fr. Chris Alar explains that if we do not make the better choices in this historic election, and every election, then we run the risk of our country actually ceasing to exist."

Very Reverend Chris Alar, MIC, Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception

Father Chris Alar, MIC, is the Provincial Superior of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in the United States and Argentina. He wrote and produced the popular "Divine Mercy 101" and "Explaining the Faith" YouTube series and is the author of the bestselling books After Suicide: There's Hope for Them and for You, as well as Understanding Divine Mercy. He is host of the EWTN show Living Divine Mercy, which airs on Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. EST. From 2014-2024, he served as "Fr. Joseph, MIC," the Director of the Association of Marian Helpers.

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What Would American Catholics Do With Another Trump Presidency?

By: Robert Morrison | Remnant Columnist

The link above takes you to a September 3rd article on the website of The Remnant Newspaper, a highly recommended source for wisdom and analysis, under the leadership of Michael Matt. Here are some key excerpts from this excellent article:

For the most part, serious Catholics on both sides of the “lesser of two evils” debate recognize that a Harris presidency would almost certainly be an unprecedented disaster for American Catholics. Having no merit, her campaign depends entirely upon presenting her as the woke, anti-Christian alternative to Trump. A Harris win would come with an anti-Christian mandate, and it would be dangerously naive to assume that she and her puppet masters would refrain from crushing serious Catholics. Thus, even those Catholics who do not intend to vote for Trump cannot actually desire the persecution that Harris could inflict, unless they have an ardent desire for their martyrdom and that of their fellow Catholics.

Accordingly, we can think of a potential Trump presidency in terms of at least a minor mitigation, or at least a temporary delay, of the anti-Catholic horrors that Harris would joyfully inflict on us. Perhaps this would translate into greater freedom to promote Catholic causes (such as educating society about the evils of IVF); maybe it would mean not having to choose between taking mandatory mRNA shots and keeping your job or children; it might even mean that the pro-life movement is not suffocated on the grounds that it promotes domestic terrorism. With all his flaws, a Trump presidency would give Catholics far more breathing room than we could expect from Harris.

What would we do with that extra time free from serious persecution? We must ask the same type of question generally with respect to all of the time God gives us this side of death; but when faced with a “fork in the road” opportunity such as that represented by the presidential election, it is useful to consider how we would act if given just a little more freedom to serve God according to our desires. If we will not use it profitably to honor and serve God, then it is of no real value even if it happens to spare us from martyrdom. So how should we honor and serve God if we are given a reprieve from the anti-Catholic horrors of a Harris presidency?

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Very Reverend John Lankeit, Rector of the Cathedral in the Diocese of Phoenix, made the statements transcribed below in his homily in the weekly televised mass of Sunday October 2, 2016, delivering unerring Catholic pre-election guidance that is equally and especially applicable for the upcoming 2024 election. Here is a link to the entire 20 minutes’ homily, on the website of https://courageousclergy.com/

Your Soul Will Be In Grave Danger - Courageous Clergy

Here are a few key excerpts from this homily:

“The devil is a divider who will use almost any tactic to separate Christians from Christ, except for one tactic. He doesn’t typically come right out and say “Deny Jesus Christ” because he knows that anybody who loves Jesus would immediately reject that suggestion. So he tends to use more subtle means and more subtle words.”

“Many issues, like social justice, the economy, immigration, affirmative action, etc., are subject to prudential judgement - where Catholics can disagree on the “best ways to address issues”, but still remain in good standing.  There are other issues, however, that touch on matters which are of intrinsic evil:  actions that can NEVER be permitted, or promoted, or enabled by a faithful Catholic.

Even the word “abortion” has been drained of its meaning. We treat it like a term that begins debates. Abortion is a procedure that stops a baby’s heartbeat. Many want to treat abortion as only one issue among many. But that requires that a person pretend not to know what abortion is or what abortion does.”

“So, let’s stop beating around the bush in regard to the current presidential race. Do you know which candidate which party and candidate promotes abortion and even intends to expand it, at home and abroad?

Do you know that this candidate and this party intend to promote and expand abortion and to make you pay for other people’s abortions with our tax dollars, even though this has always been illegal?

Are you aware, that this party, as of 2016, no longer bothers to say that abortion should be rare, but rather that it must be available at any time, any place up to the last moment– that full-term baby remains in the womb?

If you do not know which candidate and party I am referring to then you should not even consider voting until you do. Ignorance in this area is unacceptable because ignorance in this area jeopardizes millions of babies’ lives and jeopardizes the souls of many Catholic voters.

On the other hand: If you do know which party and candidate want to promote and expand abortion, and you still intend to enable them to continue their war on the unborn with your vote, it is my duty as a priest to tell you that your soul will be in grave danger, especially if you present yourself for holy communion after casting such a vote with the full knowledge of what you are doing.”

“Every election season when a priest addresses such topics from the pulpit, certain people complain and some people say that a priest has no business preaching politics in the church. That’s what some people say. But, what does God say to the priest whom he has designated to be a spiritual father to the people entrusted in his care?  This is what God said to his prophet, Ezekiel: “I have made you a watchman of the house of Israel.  Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from Me.  If I say to the wicked, ‘Oh, wicked man, you should surely die, and you (the priest) do not warm the man to turn from his wicked way, the wicked man shall die in his sin, but his blood I will require of your (the priest’s) hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his wicked way, and he does not turn, he will die in his sin, but you will have saved your life.””

“Another of the devil’s tactics is to encourage us, to make excuses for our participation in very evil activities by appealing to the other good things we support, which we try to convince ourselves that they somehow cancel the evil we choose to participate in. Take capital punishment for example. If you bring up abortion, some people will bring up capital punishment, saying that if you are against abortion, then you should be against capital punishment.  Fair enough.  What is the biggest argument against capital punishment? … that innocent people might be put to death - and it must be acknowledged that innocent people might be executed in our country due to the many flaws in our legal system.  But, this very reason for opposing capital punishment is precisely the reason that Catholics must NEVER willingly support or enable abortion with their vote.  Because while some innocent people have been put to death mistakenly through capital punishment, in abortion an innocent person is ALWAYS put to death.  And NEVER by mistake.  It Is ALWAYS chosen.  It is ALWAYS intended. Abortion is to knowingly and intentionally kill an innocent boy or girl each and every time.”

CANDIDATES ENDORSED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD:

If you wish to vote to lessen evil, you need to know the candidates that are so extremely Pro-Abortion that they are endorsed by the $2 billion abortion business, Planned Parenthood. As noted on the landing section of our VOTE JUSTLY page, the Planned Parenthood website includes a list of candidates (for the U.S. Senate, Congress, and States) who are endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Link to view or download a copy of this list: 2024 Candidates Endorsed by Planned Parenthood - 08-30-24 To learn more about this $2 billion/year business, visit the website: https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/endorsements

Scroll down to view 2023 financial reports of this huge for-profit corporation, revealing the $699 million received from our Government in 2023.

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