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Editor, News-Register:
As the election approaches, there is an erroneous but widely held opinion that Catholics must vote for Donald Trump because he said, "I am pro-life." But if Trump were really pro-life, he would not have tried to repeal and continuously undermine the Affordable Care Act. The ACA provides health insurance for women, and although there are no statistics to prove it, it is reasonable to believe that it enabled many women to choose life. Some, including Catholic nuns, have pointed out that many politicians who claim to be pro-life do not care about children once they are born, and that these politicians are not really pro-life, they are only pro-birth.
I contend they are not even pro-birth, they are just anti-legal abortion.
Although I am a Catholic philosopher, I am a layman with no office in the church and I speak only for myself. But I am aware of Catholic teaching on social justice, and I think you will find many Catholics who agree with the views I am expressing here.
Thoughtful Catholics believe in the sacredness of all life. This means that we should work with people of all beliefs to make the world more welcoming for children. We are morally obligated to work toward a time when everyone has adequate health insurance, our national leaders take a consistent, science-based approach to controlling current and future pandemics, families can provide their children with a safe environment and healthy nutrition, and all children receive an education that enables them to flourish as persons and become productive members of society. Further, we would protect the natural environment on which all life depends.
Couples who respect life are less likely to become pregnant out of carelessness, and each pregnancy is wanted and considered a blessing. If a woman freely chooses to bear a child, that is a win for both sides, life and choice. If a woman has an abortion because she cannot afford the cost of birth, much less the cost of raising a child, there is no choice and no life.
Those who truly respect life will take the issue out of politics and work with others across the political spectrum to make the world more welcoming for children.
Richard Mullin
Wheeling