As pointed out by the Washington Post, we now near the fortieth anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade trial. This trial legalized abortion, and yet the nation still seems divided as to what defines a new life. The Post also reports through polling that less and less people are able to connect the trial with abortion. This has a twofold statement. First of all, people are becoming less and less aware of the political situation. Secondly, it seems to imply that they simply don't care.
One interesting fact stated that more than half of Catholics support the ruling, despite the insistency of the Church in its stance on preserving life. The author does, however report that most people who attend religious services weekly do oppose the court's ruling.
What have we become, where distinct life forms are being killed? Pregnancy is not a disease! The solution isn't abortion, it is being responsible with your sexuality. We must stand to protect these innocent children of God.
How can the court's ruling still dictate our practices when the country is still completely undecided? And yet, it is, and now Mr. Obama is intruding further on our rights, requiring companies to provide contraceptives despite their beliefs?
How can more than half of American Catholics support abortion and still call themselves Catholics? We have to put an end to this senselessness before it ruins us. American government is separated from Church, but this does not mean it is an organization of atheists that is free to dictate and impose their wills upon those who disagree with them.
What can we do to stand up for ourselves? Ask yourself this, see if you can find an answer, and perhaps you can be the change that we need. I just ask you to think about it.
God Bless America, and so help us all
As a Catholic, most of us would say that abortion is wrong. But that does not mean that the beliefs of the nation have to be in line with a certain religion. Just because we are Catholic and have certain beliefs doesn't mean we should dictate the way a government runs. There is a separation of Church and State, as you mentioned, so why are Catholics trying to impose their beliefs on the government? Abortion is legal in the United States. That is a fact. If you don't believe in this simply because you're Catholic, than the most we can do is abstain from doing it. We cannot press our beliefs onto everybody in the nation just because we think it's wrong. And if you make the argument about Catholic companies providing contraceptives to their workers, think about this: Catholic institutions hire non-Catholic workers, so by not providing something that the Church doesn't believe in is unfair to those workers that aren't Catholic. If Catholic institutions don't provide contraceptives, then don't hire non-Catholics. And obviously you can see the issue with that right? You cannot discriminate people and affect their chances of getting a job due to religion. Example: Marriott, the hotel company, was founded by a Mormon. So does that mean that all of the workers are forced to practice Mormon ideals and beliefs, even though most workers are not Mormon? You cannot deny people the rights that they have due to what religion they are. Nobody is forcing anybody to take contraceptives or have an abortion, and if you don't believe in them, then simply abstain from doing them. Don't press your own beliefs on anyone and force them to do something that they don't believe in. It is a free nation for a reason, and that is so people can believe what they want to, not be forced to follow the Catholic ideals. I disagree with abortion, but I don't think it should be illegal just because Catholics don't believe in it. President Obama is doing all he can to provide for everybody as a nation, not just the Catholic religion. If you think that the government needs to be run by your and only your beliefs, than you are selfish and immature.
ReplyDeleteThere are three four that I disagree with in this post.
ReplyDeleteOne, I disagree with the "twofold" statement that Americans are less aware of the political situation with abortion, and the implication that we, as Americans, "simply don't care". Abortion has become, throughout the past five decades, and still is a very heated topic among Western-European, and Western European influenced countries, specifically the United States, today. To say that Americans don't care about the issue of abortion is actually ironic, for if it wasn't, than why has it been a major contributing factor as to which President is re/elected or not, a major civil rights issue, a dividing point between parties in the United States government, and the heated debate subject of the past comment and two replies on this webpage?
Two, it's President Obama, not Mr. Obama. Whether you agree or disagree with his motives and views or not, the President has earned his title and therefore should be respectfully referred to as such. He is, unless otherwise impeached, our President for the next four years.
Three, what rights are President Obama "intruding on"? Like John said, the government is not forcing anyone to have an abortion, it's just an option that has been presented to the public as a form of birth control. That's not intruding on our rights, it's actually extending them. And what are our rights without the country that we live in defending them? So many times have I heard people slander the name of the country which fights for their rights to say such things. Honestly, I see that as simply disrespectful and ignorant. Without this country, what would your rights be? Honestly? You can say that your rights are those that the Bible and Magisterium states, but who is going to give and defend those rights for you? No one. That's why we have countries to guarantee such things to us.
Four, I would feel more inclined to completely agree with the Church about abortion if contraception was allowed. The Church sees contraception as a sin, and teaches against it. Why? I don't know. The Church's greatest argument against abortion is specifically that it is a form of murder. With this, I agree. Abortion is murder and should be illegalized. But contraception and abortion are two different things. Contraception is preventing conception, which is the point when life actually occurs. Forms of contraception (like condoms and the pill) are not killing anything, but preventing. To me, this seems like a form of controlling and being responsible for one's sexuality.
As a Catholic, I do not believe in or support abortion at all. Abortion is a form of murder. So since murder is illegal and will get one jailed, how is abortion legal in this country? I agree that the contraceptives that our president is requiring companies to provide makes the situation. Christians make up about three-fourths of all adults in the United States, about 21% of these people being Catholics. Our government is obviously not being completely run by men and women who have no religious affiliations. Many people today are not knowledgeable about what is happening in our nation's capitol, which is very sad. I believe that we should stand up for what we believe in and tell our government what we want them to do.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, as I know this is a sensitive topic. Just to clarify: when I said "intruding on our rights," I simply meant that Catholic institutions should not be forced to support a practice they are morally against. Also, another miswording, the unawareness is relevant to Roe vs. Wade, not abortion as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree in that we should not impose our beliefs on all people, and that there should be separation of Church and State, but I will argue that we have the right to state and support our opinions. Because, for the sake of example, if someone were to start random mass killings, then one could argue that just because we believe murder is wrong doesn't mean that we can impose that upon the criminal. Yes, John is right that Catholic institutions employ non-Catholics, and no that does not require non-Catholics to practice Catholic beliefs. But, they still must comply to rules and regulations that are generally based on Catholic teachings.
In terms of contraceptives, I feel like people should be willing to accept the consequences of their actions. If someone causes a car crash, should they not have to pay all necessary fines? So, why in this case is an easy way out allowed? One of the essential parts to the vocation of marriage is openness (not necessarily a requirement). If it is so important to them, why do they not simply switch to a different company that covers contraceptives? Is it that much easier simply to complain until you get your way?
Finally, an argument to the individuality of embryos: are even the fist cells genetically different from the mother? Half of the genes come from the father, not to mention the scrambling of genes (as you will/ have learned about in Biology) means that the embryo i unique and individual.
For those who want to watch, here is a short video showing the aftermath of abortions. (There are some sensitive images, if any need this warning) Note that these are abortions carried out early in pregnancy, and notice the already apparent development of the embryo.
No, we should not impose our beliefs on others. But, we should still voice our opinions and stand up for what we belief. Abortion is a moral issue, not religious. But, Catholic institutions should not have to support contraceptives or another thing they so strongly oppose, just like a Jewish establishment should not be forced to serve ham and eggs to employs who want it. The line has to be drawn between need/ reasonable want and want caused by greed or not wanting to accept consequences, etc., and contraceptives are wants that people are now demanding simply because they want to have pleasure without accepting consequences.
Now, you are all entitled to your own beliefs, but I hope that we can reach an agreement on social, political, and moral levels.
God Bless America
Also, there is no "right" to receive certain coverages in insurance. The non-Catholic workers apply and sign a contract knowing exactly what their employer will cover, and it is their choice to agree or disagree to those terms. If anything, it infringes upon the rights of any institution, not necessarily anything involved with religion, to mandate certain coverages. There is nothing that mandates companies cover dental insurance, and some don't. It is a right of the companies to choose what they cover and not the right of individual employees.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless America