With only a week before election day in the United States, it's important to understand the importance of voting and the Church's teaching on how Catholics are to exercise their right to vote in democratic countries.
Here are some of the key points worth repeating on Catholics and voting:
• Catholics are obliged to participate in politics by voting.
• Legislators are elected to serve and protect the common good, human dignity, and rights of human persons.
• Voters should have a clear understanding of the principles of Catholic moral and social teaching.
• The life issues are dominant in the hierarchy of issues for the Catholic voter.
• Abortion is the dominant political issue. The souls of aborted children can not go to Heaven. This is the paramount issue.
• Being pro-abortion disqualifies a candidate from a Catholic vote.
• The ban against euthanasia and assisted suicide admits of no exception.
• Science must respect the inherent dignity of the human person.
• Unused and unwanted embryos must be treated with the respect afforded to other human beings.
• Ending human life cannot be justified in the name of therapeutic (i.e., medical) benefits to other persons.
• Marriage was instituted prior to the state and should be recognized by the state as something inviolate and necessary to the common good.
• Prudential judgments about law and public policy should always seek to strengthen marriage and families.
• So-called same-sex marriages cannot be recognized by the Catholic Church, and civil unions are likely to undermine marriage and damage its foundational role in society.
• Catholic health-care organizations must be free to perform their work with clear consciences.
• Abstinence and fidelity should be the foundation of sexually transmitted disease—education and prevention.
As a result, a Catholic must vote for the best candidate that will advance the common good. A Catholic may not vote for a candidate that advocates, supports, encourages, funds, promotes, or advances abortion, embryonic stem cell research, or euthanasia.
Must A Candidate Be Perfect To Earn Your Vote?
Tanquerey (traditional moral theologian): "If the vote is between two evil persons, one may vote for the less evil and most profitable to the cause of good" (Tomus Tertius, De Variis Statuum Obligationibus, Caput I, De officiis laicorum, n. 999). Father Dominic Prummer concurs.
Merkelbach (traditional moral theologian): "When given a choice between two candidates who aren’t perfect, it is licit to elect the better candidate to prevent a more unworthy candidate from coming into power if there is no hope that a perfect candidate will be elected."
“Voters who, through grave fault by abstaining from voting do not stop an evil decision, election, or law from coming to pass, if they are bound by a specific duty to stop a foreseen harm which follows, are cooperators in evil.” (Summa Theologiae Moralis, Tomus Secundus, Tractatus De Virtute Cardinali Justitiae, Tertia Pars, Sectio A, De Justitia Commutativa, n. 316)
State Amendments to Advance Abortion or Attacks on Life
There are 10 pro-abortion amendments. Vote NO!
- Arizona: Prop 139
- Colorado: Amendment 79
- Florida: Amendment 4
- Maryland: Question 1
- Missouri: Amendment 3
- Montana: CI-128 Ballot Issue #14
- Nebraska: Initiative 439
- Nevada: Question 6
- New York: Prop 1
- South Dakota: Amendment G
US Presidential Race:
Where each candidate stands on the issues: https://www.procon.org/debate-topics/
President Trump's pro-life record: http://www.nrlc.org/uploads/records/trumprecord.pdf
Kamala Harris is the most pro-abortion candidate to ever run: https://www.texasrighttolifepac.com/kamala-harris-pro-abortion-record/
Kamala Harris is also vehemently an anti-Catholic bigot.
The choice is clear for the US Presidential Race. A Catholic may not vote for Kamal Harris without committing a grave sin. Using the rationale above, all Catholics are obliged to vote for Donald Trump to prevent the most evil, anti-Catholic candidate from winning.
Other Races:
Since many national, state, and local races are ongoing, consult a voting guide. Since abortion is the preeminent issue for Catholics - as affirmed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - referencing this guide from the National Right to Life is useful: https://www.nrlvictoryfund.org/endorsements/
Check out each state's Right to Light Voting Guides. For instance, the IL Voting Guide is published for all elections.
Anyone for abortion being legal or funded by taxpayer dollars is disqualified from your vote.
As a final reminder, voting is a grave obligation. Do so for the good of souls. You are obliged to prevent the most evil person from winning. You do not have to like the personality or the person you are voting for. But to vote for someone who will advance evil against the human person or the Church is unworthy of a vote. And to vote for such a person would be mortally sinful.
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