Two African American bishops and abortion

D.C. CatholicExaminer ^ | October 23, 2008 | Eric Wilson

[Salvation]

Two African American bishops and abortion

October 23, 12:28 PM

by Eric Wilson, D.C. Catholic Examiner

  

 

Bishop Martin Holley

An interesting juxtaposition emerged this week from the statements of two African American bishops on the abortion issue.  First, Bishop Martin Holley, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, released a statement last week responding to a Guttmacher Institute (named for Alan Guttmacher, former president of Planned Parenthood and former vice-president of the American Eugenics Society) survey which found black women in the U.S. abort pregnancies at a rate five times that of white women.

Bishop Holley, who is chair of the African American Subcommittee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), wrote,

As an African American, I am saddened by evidence that Black women continue to be targeted by the abortion industry. The loss of any child from abortion is a tragedy, but we must ask: Why are minority children being aborted at such disproportionate rates?

Many African Americans are not aware that since the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion throughout all 9 months of pregnancy, the number one cause of death in the African American community has been abortion. We have lost over 13 million lives. To put that in perspective, it is one third of our present Black population.  Since 1973, twice as many Black Americans have died from abortion than from AIDS, accidents, violent crimes, cancer, and heart disease combined.

These fact are particularly alarming given the roots of Planned Parenthood, the nation's number one abortion provider, which sprung from the American Eugenics Movement in the early 20th Century.  Eugenicists, like the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, sought to prevent the procreation of "unfit" and "undesirable" elements of society, which for these racists, included African Americans and immigrants. 

Although most Americans have forgotten the sinister aims of the birth control and abortion movements, the Guttmacher study - the research arm of Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood - reveals they are succeeding in their mission of "racial betterment."

Counseling the African American community, Bishop Holley writes further, "our legitimate commitment to other social concerns must not push the primary moral issue of abortion onto the back burner. It clearly must be at the heart and center of our discussion of the survival of African American people.

Compare this very clear statement about the urgency with which Catholics must address the issue of legalized abortion in the United States with remarks made by Bishop Terry Steib of Memphis, who stated "we [Catholics] cannot be a one issue people."  This statement was heralded by the liberal newspaper the National Catholic Reporter as a rejection of the teaching promoted by many American bishops that faithful Catholics must not vote for pro-abortion candidates.

However, a careful reading of Bishop Steib's remarks reveals his point is more nuanced than the Reporter and other liberal Catholic groups would like.  One might interpret his statement is intended to counsel black Catholics against voting for Sen. Barack Obama simply because he is black.  For example, Bishop Steib writes,

according to our Holy Father, we disciples of Jesus cannot remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice; this means that we must be part of the game. However, politics is not just a game; it is instead a part of the commonwealth of our lives...But if we are to be involved in the political process by voting, then we must have formed our consciences well.

Bishop Steib further cautions that "it is much easier to choose because of personality rather than the content of character. It is easier to say 'I just like him or her; he or she is one of us' rather than to ponder, reflect, and pray for our choice prudently."

Quoting the USCCB's Faithful Citizenship document, he advises the faithful that

There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil.

 

Catholics believe abortion to be a fundamental moral evil and Sen. Obama has promised to make abortion a civil right, if elected, and expand access to abortions.  Is Sen. McCain completely in line with all Church teachings?  Clearly not, but he does support the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy in all 50 states.

 

For more info: Bishop Holley's complete statement; Bishop Steib's remarks

[Catholic Iowan]

What’s Lieberman doing on this list of supporters of FOCA?!?! Just because he stands with Republicans on the war on terror, you don’t actually think he is a conservative, do you? Senator Lieberman is just as ardently pro-abortion as the vast majority of Democrats in the House and Senate. And to think there were some who actually advocated the idea that McCain should have chosen him as his running mate. He votes with the Democrats on just about all their liberal issues EXCEPT the war on terror. Let’s not lionize the man.

[Salvation]

Good question for him to answer to his Creator.

[Salvation]

**Are the targeters looking out for the best interest of their market, or are they peddlers selling their snake oil along the line of least resistance?**

Or are the views and wishes of Margaret Sanger of Planned Parenthood coming true.

Tragically, Obamanation does not even realize that PP is destroying (killing) the future voting block of blacks in this country. Sounds like holocaust to me.

[Salvation]

I saw that one line in there too. I just thought the rest of his message needed to be stronger.

[Surtur]

Obama:
But it’s also important that a president speaks to military service as an obligation not just of some, but of many. You know, I traveled, obviously, a lot over the last 19 months. And if you go to small towns, throughout the Midwest or the Southwest or the South, every town has tons of young people who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s not always the case in other parts of the country, in more urban centers.

I can't believe Obama slipped up and let this inconvenient truth slip out. Apparently he believes, like Sarah, that some areas of America are more patriotic than others.

[ari-freedom]

it sounds like he wants a big war. That’s what usually happens after a major expansion of govt.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Forget the nuances though ... Unless abortion is directly and strongly condemned, without any other moral “equivocation” and “talk-around” - such as was what was in our bulletin today! - liberal “catholic” politicians will continue to be elected based on catholic votes.

Atlanta's (black, extremely liberal) archbishop continues to support the racism in Obama’s campaign, and has REFUSED to condemn ANYTHING any liberal catholic says anywhere in the country. Of course, he is also supporting democrats to get more pro-illegal democrat voters (er, church contributors) as well.

[Surtur]

Could be. If you read it a certain way, it definitely looks like he is saying that flyover country isn’t supplying enough bodies to accomplish his ends. Urban/suburan areas are going to have to get with the program and offer up their young as well.

[Gene Eric]

>> [The African American community has] lost over 13 million lives. To put that in perspective, it is one third of our present Black population.

Abortion deprives the Country of Hope for tomorrow.

Prayers for all that struggle, suffer, and die from abortion.

[Gene Eric]

>> Over 1,500 Black Babies Per Day Are Killed

40 million 3” prenatals spans 2 thousand miles. Imagine driving past 40 million business cards lined up end to end from the Northeast to Texas.

[SuziQ]

I don’t believe Bishop Steib is being wishy-washy. He speaks of abortion as a great evil, he’s just trying to walk a fine line in his pronouncements. Clearly he can’t name one candidate who is most in line with Catholic teaching, and say “vote for that one”. He is trying to teach those Catholics who have bought into the ‘Seamless Garment’ idea that they have been taught incorrectly. Yes, all those other Social Justice issues about which they are so concerned are important, but the right to life is paramount, and overrules all the others.

[SuziQ]

Tragically, Obamanation does not even realize that PP is destroying (killing) the future voting block of blacks in this country.

What's tragic is that I'm sure Obama understands this completely, but he's like all other elites; he'd rather not have all those annoying poor people around.

[Salvation]

I just didn’t think he sounded strong enough. Perhaps if I met him in person I would have a different opinion.

Words..............bah!

[Salvation]

Truly sad, isn’t it?