Knights of Columbus head says Catholics cannot vote for abortion advocates

[trotsky]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-trump-a-new-rigged-system-the-election-itself/2016/08/02/d9fb33b0-58c4-11e6-9aee-8075993d73a2_story.html

(RNS) Carl Anderson, leader of the Knights of Columbus fraternal order and one of the most influential lay Catholics in the church, has said that abortion outweighs all other issues in the presidential campaign and Catholics cannot vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights.

Abortion is not “just another political issue” but “is in reality a legal regime that has resulted in more than 40 million deaths,” Anderson told the Knights’ international convention in Toronto in a speech on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 2).

“What political issue could possibly outweigh this human devastation? Abortion is different. Abortion is the killing of the innocent on a massive scale,” said Anderson, a veteran Republican official who worked for the late North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms and served in various positions in the Reagan administration.

“We need to end the political manipulation of Catholic voters by abortion advocates. It is time to end the entanglement of Catholic people with abortion killing. It is time to stop creating excuses for voting for pro-abortion politicians,” Anderson said in remarks prepared for delivery to the crowd, which included some 100 Catholic bishops.

Considering the church hierarchy has called for denying communion to Catholic politicians who support reproductive rights, it would appear his remarks are in line with the RCC.

[liberal N proud]

1. No religious figure is going to tell me how I vote

That is why I no longer attend church.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Sure they can. They won't be excommunicated and barred from communion.

They may catch hell from their parish priest and family and parishioners, but that's about it. Voting for a candidate who supports abortion rights is neither a venal nor a mortal sin to the best of my knowledge.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. Sorry but this dildo has no authority to say things like this. He ain't the pope. Or a bishop.

[Brettongarcia]

6. Pope Francis said don't obsess over abortion

The Knights just ignore that. Even as they claim to revere the Pope.


http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/world/europe/pope-bluntly-faults-churchs-focus-on-gays-and-abortion.html?pagewanted=all&referer=&_r=0

[whatthehey]

4. RCC apologists will hide behind slight recent overall D votes

But the fact is it is only the rampant xenophobia of the Rs which drives away the heavily Catholic Hispanics that edges the RCC vote barely into the sane column. White Catholics remain a massive and reliable RWNJ bloc.

[struggle4progress]

9. 2014 graphic from Pew

[whatthehey]

13. This changes their votes how? And where are the nones?

[struggle4progress]

14. Another 2014 Pew graphic

[whatthehey]

15. So the more dedicated Catholics are more RW even in this irrelevant goalpost shift?

Again, how does this change the RW voting of white Catholics?

[Warren Stupidity]

18. Shhh... He thinks his data helps his side.

[tonyt53]

5. Lack of prenatal care and lack of nutrition after birth are just as devastating.

Why is that never mentioned by the pro-lifers? Lip service is all that gets. Men again telling women that they have no rights when it comes to their bodies.

[LeftishBrit]

22. EXACTLY!

[bulloney]

7. K of C and some of the RCC clergy want to believe abortion is the most important issue because

it's the purest issue for Republicans in those organizations to hang their hats on so they can justify voting straight Republican ticket in the elections.

The Vatican has been very opposed to capital punishment, George Bush's war in Iraq and other issues that fly in the face of the Republicans in these organizations. But their political loyalties are much stronger than their religious convictions so they make stuff up like saying abortion is THE issue you must vote by.

First, I'm not going to base my vote on ONE issue. Second, I can't figure why the RCC gives an entire society of single, celibate men authority over issues like marriage, sexuality and parenthood when, by profession, they have ZERO experience in those areas. If I have a question on something like mechanical engineering, I'll go to a mechanical engineer for answers, not a CPA. Third, I'm not going to base my vote on some emotion issue like abortion, vote for the "pro-life" candidate, and then piss and moan that our economy continues to be in the crapper because all of these "pro life" candidates spend all of their time obstructing in the legislatures.

Funny thing, I'm not aware of Bill Clinton or Barack Obama personally terminating any pregnancies. But George W. Bush, one of the K of C's darlings, can't make that claim.

[Brettongarcia]

10. Priests might have aborted fetuses

In the Bible (Num. 5.11-31) a woman suspected of infidelity is ordered to take a dust or powder, that causes her thigh or womb to shrink. In effect, if the woman was pregnant, it would be an abortifacient.

A priest administers it.

In more modern times, it's rumored that many priests had illegal girlfriends and wives. And? Abortions.

So actually, these hypocrites MIGHT ACTUALLY know some things about abortion, that by rights they should not.

Never underestimate the hypocrisy of the churches.

[lapucelle]

8. Putting any weight whatsoever into what this man says

is ridiculous. The K of C is a fraternal organization. My husband joined many years ago because they have excellent life insurance at great rates available for their members. Paying for his insurance policy is the extent of his (and many members) involvement.

I am an actual practicing Catholic. The church's pro-life position is complex, and it extends well beyond the the abortion issue. Anyone who would erroneously claim that Catholics cannot vote for pro-choice candidates , would also have to extend that restriction to pro-death penalty candidates. The church's position against the death penalty might not be as well-known as its stand on abortion, but it is just as strong and longer standing.

I happen to also work in a Catholic school operated by the congregation of sisters made famous by the movie Dead Man Walking. (S. Helen Prejean actually spoke at my school once, describing the number of times she has held the hand of a parent witnessing the execution of their adult child). The sisters are generally true social justice warriors. They walk the walk. They are more interested in candidates who will promulgate social justice policies rather than those who will restrict woman's rights.

[whatthehey]

11. Not so. Compare the wording of 2267 and 2270

[Brettongarcia]

12. The sisters working in hospitals rebelled against antiabortionism

Recently. More than once.

[bulloney]

19. I agree with what you stated, laucelle and have seen similar things.

But, where I live, the majority of the Catholics hang their hats on the candidate's position on abortion. Then, they complain about how they continue to lose ground economically and other issues. It's because those anti-abortion candidates are usually one-trick ponies and they basically are do-nothing obstructors.

[rug]

16. Your link goes to a story about trump.

If you're going to post clickbait, at least make sure clicking the link leads to the bait.

[hrmjustin]

17. You posted a link to a Trump story not this story.

[LeftishBrit]

20. Can they vote for war advocates?

Can they vote for those who support policies that keep many people in the world in extreme poverty, which often results in their deaths?

Can they vote for those who accept health inequalities in the USA, that result in more than twice as many black babies as white babies dying at or shortly after birth, according to statistics that I've found? Not really protecting infant life!

[trotsky]

21. Pshaw, they only care about the "unborn" until the "un" part is dropped off. n/t