Abortion is just a Catholic issue, right?

September 23, 2004.  

 “Wrong,” said a group of over 50 pro-life representatives of church and non-church groups assembled today for a press conference in Washington.

According to Newswire, their message was, “Support for abortion contradicts public service and disqualifies candidates from holding public office.”  Church groups included Catholic, Southern Baptist, Church of Christ, Muslim, Orthodox Jewish, Korean Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, and Native American

The non-church groups Newswire listed were even more diverse:

• Atheists for Life – They point out the value of human life, whether you think it comes from God or not.
• Libertarians for Life – They say that you cannot take the government out of the abortion decision.  If an act is not prohibited, then the government is obliged to defend the right of the individual to do that act.
• Democrats for Life  -  Pro-life Democrats have been fighting to even be allowed a link to their organization on the Democratic Party web site.  The Democratic Party supports abortion most emphatically and does not allow dissent on this issue.
• Black-Americans for Life  -  Black women have a very disproportionate number of abortions, which has caused some people to refer to abortion as genocide for Black Americans.
• Also present, among others, were The National Right to Life Committee, the Family Research Council, and Focus on the Family.

“By gathering a group of people that is very diverse politically, philosophically, ethnically, and religiously, we are aiming to destroy the stereotypes under which many labor, namely, that opposition to abortion must come only from one's religious or political affiliation," said Fr. Pavone. "It is a favorite tactic of pro-abortion politicians to hold that opposition to abortion flows merely from Catholic faith, and therefore that because of religious freedom, we cannot expect everyone to be against abortion. What nonsense! Through this press conference, we are pointing out that opposition to abortion is based on reasons above and beyond any religious, ethnic, or political loyalties a person might have. Rather, it flows from an awareness that, as an act of violence, abortion has no place in a civilized society. We certainly don't need any Church or political party to tell us it is an act of violence; we simply have to look at what it is!

"Because abortion is an act of violence that destroys an entire segment of the public," Fr. Frank concluded," no one who ignores the victims of abortion is worthy to hold public office."

RARTL Updated September 2004