“You want to rely on politicians, government laws, etc.”
You don't seem to have any idea of what I want to rely on.
I believe that we must win back the society at the cultural level.
But I believe we must simultaneously continue the political fight, on a variety of levels, because in part, the battle IS political, and in part because the politics influences culture and society.
Part of what holds back the cause is Roe vs. Wade. And winning presidential elections has brought us within one vote of overturning Roe.
Without overturning Roe, the pro-life will of the people that already exists will continue to be frustrated on the political level. The fact is that clear majorities in the United States believe that abortion should be legally restricted to cases or rape, incest, life of the mother, and severe fetal abnormality.
In that those cases represent less than 4% of all abortions, that means that majorities of Americans support outlawing, banning, 96% of abortions.
But that will is frustrated by the fact that such laws would conflict with Roe.
Thus, we must continue to fight on the political level, as well, at the margins with issues like partial birth abortion,parental notification, parental consent, waiting times (all of these are state-level political issues, and can be used as wedge issues to help change hearts and minds of folks), and then at the presidential and senatorial levels, so that we can get one more seat on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe.
About 20 states already have restrictive abortion laws on the books that would immediately take effect upon overturning Roe, and more states would follow.
And then the real political battle could begin.
It's not “either/or,” either fight culturally and socially or fight politically. it's “and/both,” fight culturally and socially AND politically. Because both need to be done, and because each reinforces the other.
“I mentioned shacking up [co-habitation] and contraception as also moral issues which are avoided in NY, NJ and PA churches. Because the Church seems to have given up the battle in these areas also. Are they mentioned in MD?”
It's irrelevant to me, really. I don't expect leadership from the priests and bishops. It's up to the laity to change the culture, the society, and the politics of life and death. The bishops, and many priests, prove over and over again how deeply disappointing they are. They are certainly within the Apostolic Succession, proving it continuously by acting like St. Peter at the time of Jesus’ Passion.
But, yeah, we do hear homilies on these topics from time to time. It depends a lot on the individual priests. Some priests make a habit of preaching on these topics at least a few times per year. Others, they never mention them.
However, all the priests I know:
1. Won't marry you if you're co-habiting. And if you DO want to get married, you'll have to live apart for at least six months.
2. Won't baptize your baby if you're co-habiting. If you're co-habiting and have a baby together, you have to promise to live as brother and sister for six months, then marry in the Church, and then your baby will be baptized.
After you take several months of baptismal preparation classes.
sitetest
Goodbye.