Anti-abortion? Vote for a Democrat

A few weeks ago, the bishop in the Catholic Diocese of Scranton, Pa., wrote a letter to all his parishioners.

According to the letter, which Bishop Joseph Martino required all his priests to read at every mass, voting for a candidate who supports abortion rights is the same as endorsing homicide.

As a left-leaning, pro-choice Catholic, it is difficult for me to convey how offensive this was.

I’m not saying electing a Democrat to office is the solution to all life’s problems, but in all honesty, when Obama wins this election, we’ll all be better off – even though he supports abortion rights.

Democrats are in line with pretty much every other Catholic teaching, so I really find it hard to believe a bishop could be so against Obama.

Regardless, many liberal lay Catholics and clergy are proving Obama is even more in touch with Catholic teachings than the usual Democrat.

In a Washington Post column, the Rev. Tomas J. Reese, a Catholic priest, said Obama has admitted abortion is a moral issue, something Democrats haven’t done before.

Obama’s plan is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, which will, in turn, reduce the number of abortions.

Think about it, people. What have Republicans actually done for those of you who are anti-abortion? Nominate some Supreme Court Justices who have the same view?

Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, the abortion issue will probably go to the states, where many will just make abortion legal anyway. And for the women who live in a state that makes abortion illegal, they’ll just drive to a state where it is legal.

In reality, the only way to stop abortion safely is to change the way people are educated.

Right now, pretty much every public school in the country teaches abstinence-only sex education. The federal government has forced the schools’ hands in this issue by revoking federal money from any school that teaches proper sex-ed.

Remember health class in high school? I’m sure if you look back you’ll remember a creepy gym teacher telling you condoms pretty much always fail, and the only way to not die of AIDS and pregnancy was to wait until you’re married, or dead, to have sex. I know I do.

When will the religious right realize it’s the cause of the issue the entire group claims to fight for?

By supporting abstinence-only programs only they are causing abortion numbers to, at the very least, stay the same rather than decrease.

And unwanted pregnancies aren’t the only huge problem resulting from abstinence-only sex ed.

Teenage sexually transmitted disease rates are extremely high. This is happening because schools are telling their students condoms aren’t effective, and are instead telling them to simply not have sex.

Please.

Teenagers have always had sex, and they always will. The only thing being accomplished here is a decreased use in condoms because kids are told they don’t work. I’m not saying abstinence shouldn’t be taught, it is the only 100 percent effective way to prevent pregnancy and STDs, but we need to be realistic.

I know the Catholic church doesn’t exactly support birth control, or premarital sex, but if you’re actually concerned with ending abortion, you might just have to live with those issues.

Personally, I think abortion is a moral issue and it is a serious choice people should be allowed to make for themselves. I don’t think it should be outlawed, but I do think the government should try to decrease the number of abortions. And Obama’s plan would do just that.

Not only would Obama’s plan accomplish this, but he is also against the death penalty and the war in Iraq. Just by ending the war in his first term, he would be saving hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives. The Catholic Church’s position on life would be preserved in pretty much every way.

I encourage all of you to actually think about who you’re voting for on Tuesday. Don’t let the media, your parents, me or your church decide for you.

Don’t vote for someone because they agree with you on one single issue. Look at the candidate as a whole, and analyze what direction he will take this country in.