In which pro-life is pro-Trump. Or vice versa
Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, a Catholic anti-abortion organization, sent one of his exhortations asking me to fill out a survey saying how much I like our president's appointment of Justice Gorsuch and how much I hate Planned Parenthood and, BTW how much money I am sending. I can't imagine that any regulars on this blog have never seen one of these "surveys." What set me off is: "The election of President Donald J. Trump provides pro-life movement an historic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enact a strong pro-life legislation that will save the lives of millions of babies."
What he is getting at is defunding Planned Parenthood. And me sending him money. No way. Thus is what I wrote in reply:
Dear Father Pavone,
As a Catholic, active
opponent of abortion and the husband of a sidewalk counselor, I can no longer
abide your continued enabling of President Trump as a “historic,
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Presidents Reagan and W. Bush were called
that, too, and where are we? Please stop the “surveys” extolling this one. Since
his election (and before), Donald J. Trump has been a consistent affront to
what St. Pope John Paul II called solidarity and Pope Francis calls human
dignity. Only two of the latest offenses:
more after the break
more after the break
---
“This landmark agreement includes the
announcement of a $110 billion Saudi-funded defense purchase – and we will be
sure to help our Saudi friends to get a good deal from our great American
defense companies," – Donald J. Trump, selling arms, Sunday, May 21, 2017
“That national leaders may firmly commit
themselves to ending the arms trade, which victimizes so many innocent people.”
Pope Francis’s Apostleship of Prayer intention for June 2017
---
AND:
---
“The Paris Climate Accord is simply the
latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the
United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American
workers -- who I love -- and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost
jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories, and vastly diminished economic
production.” – Donald J. Trump withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Accords,
June 1, 2017
“(A) leadership
role among nations can only be justified by the possibility and
willingness to contribute widely and generously to the common good. If a
nation were to succumb more or less deliberately to the temptation to
close in upon itself and failed to meet the responsibilities
following from its superior position in the community of nations, it would
fall seriously short of its clear ethical duty.” -- St. Pope John Paul II,
Sollicitudo Rei
Socialis , par. 23
You have laced
Priests for Life so tightly to the Republican Party that when the party lost
its mind, conscience and decency Priests for Life lost them with it. Your
organization now does what you charge against opponents – material cooperation
with evil. Even at best, it’s cynical opportunism. As a Catholic, a human and
an American I cannot support what your organization is doing in the name of
pro-life.
Tom, you and I are far apart on the abortion issue, but thanks for writing this letter. Trump is the antithesis of pro-life.
ReplyDeleteCrystal, Probably not as far as you think. I think abortions should be discouraged, but I haven't seen a law to limit them that I like. Certainly not defunding Planned Parenthood. Which is a little like making an obscene gesture at someone you don't like -- such as withdrawing from the Paris Accords.
DeleteThank you, Tom, for speaking out. I feel more and more that parishes in my area are becoming politicized, that all kinds of questions about your orthodoxy are raised if you aren't a Republican. The current bishop is feeding that notion. Just had lunch with a friend, lapsed Catholic, loves the pope, tries to live the church, adopted a little girl, but has been deeply turned off by parish life. Doesn't help that priests in two nearby parishes are up on embezzlement charges. Lavish vacations and homes.
ReplyDeleteJean, Agreed that good parishes are crucial. I've lived in 14. The one we've been in for 20-some years has been through a lot (we were internationally famous after the fantasist who was briefly our pastor sued the bishop), it has been and still is a real home. But I've experienced some of the others.
DeleteTom, I agree with you. We have gotten a lot of those surveys in the mail. They go straight to the trash can. They aren't interested in anyone's opinion, all they are doing is stroking people's confirmation biases for cash. And didn't Fr. Pavonne get in some trouble with his superiors over his handling of funds?
ReplyDeleteAll that the pro-life movement has gotten from Trump is one very expensive (in terms swallowing the rest of Trump's agenda) Supreme Court justice who may or may not, somewhere down the road, be possibly involved in a re-evalution of Roe vs Wade. And who said before confirmation hearings were even held that he would answer no litmus test on the matter.
In what alternate universe is stripping away maternity coverage from peoples insurance, or making it optional and so expensive that no one can afford it, a pro-life action? I can think of nothing that would be more likely to raise the abortion count.
The issue of abortion, or perhaps I should qualify that to the political issue of abortion, is so poisonous that it makes sense to me to approach permitting of abortion as a toleration of evil in the same way that Aquinas famously is said to have advocated toleration of prostitution. There are many things we tolerate without approval. Of course, I suppose that would not be enough for the political, pro-abortion left, since tolerance is not good enough any more. The good leftist is expected to glorify abortion. I find those who are rabidly pro-life just as unbearable and bewildering as those who are rabidly pro-abortion. And it's not "pro-choice" any more. It's pro-abortion.
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of bizarre, I find myself strangely of two minds about the student at the Christian high school who got pregnant and now is whining in the Washington Post about not being able to participate in her graduation ceremonies ("I got pregnant. I chose to keep my baby. And my Christian school humiliated me.") It strikes me as beyond bizarre that a conservative Christian high school student who plans on going to Bob Jones University finds it appropriate to appeal to the readership of the Washington Post to side with her instead of those who run her high school. Probably the average reader of the Washington Post thinks it's a bigger mistake to go to Bob Jones University than to have premarital sex. I certainly do. But if she wants to be an extreme right-wing conservative Christian, she ought to live by the values her people espouse and not run to the mainstream or the left for sympathy.
David, Has the ACLU taken up her case yet? When it does, that will be the fullness of irony.
DeleteAbout the WaPo coverage, everything has to be a drama-fest now, especially if it is to do with sex or someone who had it.
DeleteMy personal opinion is that they are putting the wrong meaning on a graduation ceremony. It isn't a reward for "perfect" kids, but a recognition of accomplishment and obstacles that were overcome. I'd say keeping one's grades up and getting through school on schedule while going through pregnancy and childbirth is quite an accomplishment. The truth is, every kid there had to overcome some kind of obstacle. A lot of kids any more blow off their commencement ceremony and get their diplomas in the mail. I was glad our sons chose to go through their high school and college graduations. Even if UNL commencement is a mob scene and we had to pay some guy 10 bucks to park on his lawn.
Though increasing global temperature by more than 2 degrees-C might not necessarily cause the extinction of the human race, it's not out of the realm of possibility. This, of course, would be the ultimate abortion. If a million Bangladeshis die in a climate change enhanced typhoon, do the unborn who die count as abortions or are they ok as collateral damage for coal jobs?
ReplyDeleteunagidon here.
ReplyDeleteThe Republicans have controlled the government before for a couple of years under GW Bush. Mighty efforts were made for deregulation and tax cuts, but they did nothing about their favorite issue abortion. Now that they control the entire government again, they will do nothing again. And this is the pity of it. It will not make a dent in their support by the people who want to make abortion illegal. It's mind boggling to me the way that the GOP works against the interests of its supporters and gets away with it.
Abortion isn't going to get outlawed, coal isn't going to come back and China won't go into debt buying our factory products. But maybe if we all clap hard enough (and vote Republican) Tinkerbell won't die.
DeleteThe good leftist is expected to glorify abortion.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think this is true. Those on the left, and I'm one of them, want to support and promote women's legal rights, and abortion is one of those. But nobody likes abortion for its own sake. It's people on the left who have been working to eliminate it by promoting free and efficient contraception.