Catholics and Obama

I've been enthralled by this article from the National Catholic Reporter: "I'm Catholic, staunchly anti-abortion, and support Obama." I read it this morning and simply can't stop thinking about it!

Here is my favorite part of the piece:

"There's another distinction that is often lost in the culture-war rhetoric on abortion: There is a difference between being pro-choice and being pro-abortion. Obama supports government action that would reduce the number of abortions, and has consistently said that "we should be doing everything we can to avoid unwanted pregnancies that might even lead somebody to consider having an abortion." He favors a "comprehensive approach where ... we are teaching the sacredness of sexuality to our children." And he wants to ensure that adoption is an option for women who might otherwise choose abortion.

Obama worked all of that into his party's platform this year. By contrast, Republicans actually removed abortion-reduction language from their platform.

What's more, as recent data show, abortion rates drop when the social safety net is strengthened. If Obama's economic program will do more to reduce poverty than McCain's, then is it wrong to conclude that an Obama presidency will also reduce abortions? Not at all."

Now, I'm a Christian woman who DOESN'T think fetuses are people, so not all of this applies to me (i.e., I don't think of abortion as "an unspeakable evil") but I really like this person's ability to incorporate his Catholic doctrine with real-world understanding. Unlike a lot of evangelicals, he realizes that abortion isn't something you can stop with a law— that women who don't want their babies will keep getting abortions regardless. And he recognizes that in order to stop abortion, you need to make societal changes, starting with a reduction in poverty.

All in all, a pretty interesting article. I love when people are able to use their brains when thinking about their faith!