Why Do Many Pro-Life Catholics Vote Democrat?

Christian Post ^ | 09/03/2014 | Napp Nazworth

[SeekAndFind]

Why do Catholics who are aligned with Democrats on social welfare and Republicans on abortion usually vote Democrat? Recent political science research suggests an answer.

Some Catholics who vote for Democratic candidates incorrectly assume those candidates are pro-life.

Catholics are often used as an example of "cross-pressured voters" due to the political party positions on abortion and welfare. Laura Hussey, associate professor of American public policy and administration at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Geoffrey Layman, professor of political science at University of Notre Dame, however, found that a minority of Catholics were both pro-life and pro-welfare, and those that were showed little ambivalence in their vote choice.

Their research, "Coping with Cross-Pressures: Electoral Choice and Political Perceptions among American Catholics," was presented Friday at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting.

About 14 percent of all Catholics hold policy views consistent with the view of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — they favor increasing government social welfare programs and they are opposed to abortion. And these Catholics, by far, prefer Democrats when they vote. Only about 24 percent vote Republican.

Committed Catholics were more likely to hold the pro-welfare/pro-life (PW/PL) views. While only 14 percent of all Catholics were PW/PL, 25 percent of committed Catholics held those views. Among non-Catholics, religious commitment made less of a difference: 14 percent of all non-Catholics and 17 percent of non-Catholics with religious commitment were PW/PL. Hussey and Laymen also found that being a committed Catholic increased the likelihood of being PW/PL even when controlling for other factors, which suggests that being a committed Catholic makes a unique contribution to being PW/PL.

[Kit cat]

I am Catholic and the church is TOTALLY all in for SOCIAL JUSTICE,
and immigration I was raised Catholic but DO NOT stand with the church
on these issues, I live in CA. and in mass every Sunday you are very
lucky to see a non- Hispanic face in the pews!!!!!

[JimRed]

The question is, how many of them confess it and repent?

[Ouchthatonehurt]

I am a Catholic.
I must admit that the vast majority of “Catholics” in America have little to no comprehension of what it means to be a Catholic. Even on basic tenants of doctrine they are un, or mis-informed. So, I don’t really buy into the demographic label.

[defconw]

Most Americans are ill-informed on most issues these days. They know more about American Idol and the Kardashians then they do of God or Country. It's very depressing.

I don't talk politics with my fellow Catholics because it is akin to trying to talk about the Blessed Mother on this forum.

FUTILITY!

[JimRed]

Because they want to keep their contraception pills!!

Yeah, those mean Republicans want to take them away! < /sarc >

[jch10]

Why do pro-life Baptists vote Democrat?

[Servant of the Cross]

** pro-welfare/pro-life (PW/PL)**

Is this some kind of new category?

Exactly. I've never seen it before. And how do they define "pro-welfare" and "pro-life"? Any Christian is 'pro-welfare' in order to serve the poor. But not never ending "handouts" that rob the individual dignity of the dependent. And do they define 'pro-life' as merely 'personally opposed'?

EVERY true pro-life Catholic that I know votes conservative (Republican). There are authentically Catholic voting guides that highlight the Five Non-Negotiables for Serious Catholics (includes Abortion, not 'Social Justice')

[Albion Wilde]

Committed Catholics were more likely to hold the pro-welfare/pro-life (PW/PL) views.

Kill someone or gibsmedat? Hmm... Kill someone.

[sheana]

I have a cousin in Arkansas that is a Democrat and I posed the question to him. You are religious? Yes. Then how can you vote for a baby killing Democrat? He said....its bigger than that. rofl

[al_c]

It’s the Social Gospel being taught within the Catholic Church.

No, it' s not. It seems to be more cultural to me. They tend to come from families that have voted Democratic for decades, so that's what they're used to doing. My in-laws used to be in that camp. They made the jump in the 90s and are now all out conservatives. I wish my Catholic brethren that vote left wing would do the same. Each year that passes, the left move even further away from anything the Church teaches.

[al_c]

Interesting. So it seems that it’s the Hispanics that are tilting the scales.

[Jane Long]

Very simplified, yet concise answer to the question. Thanks.

[bonfire]

Because their parents voted Dem, their grandparents voted Dem....and on and on.

My conservative BIL deals with this in his own Catholic family. They don’t know any better and refuse to be educated.

[Albion Wilde]

I am a Catholic.... the vast majority of “Catholics” in America have little to no comprehension of what it means to be a Catholic. Even on basic tenants of doctrine they are un, or mis-informed. So, I don’t really buy into the demographic label.

I think no more than 5 to 10% of the adherents of any religion -- any religion worldwide -- have an in-depth idea of what their religion is about, whether their beliefs align with their scriptures, or have even read their scriptures. Same is true for the "haters" of other people's religions -- they have not read the other scriptures; they just adopt the propaganda and hate.

IMO, at least 60% or more of what goes on in most religious groups is strictly derived from symbolism, cultural influences and habit. Christmas trees? Poinsettias? Easter lilies? Christening gowns? They don't come from Nazareth or Jerusalem. "Jesus"? Greco-Latin, not Aramaic or Hebrew. Strip away all the festivals, special foods, fancy artwork and feelings of superiority, and you are left with the scary lonesome valley that you must walk by yourself.

Hence, as an earlier post observed, the core demographic of most American Catholics is from groups that migrated here after the founding groups of Protestant settlers; due to discrimination, lack of education in the impoverished home country or whatever, the later waves of Catholic immigrants from Italy, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ireland, etc, found labor jobs, got into unions and fell in line with a Democrat culture.

[ravenwolf]

It is all too easy to place blame but I think it was all president Dewitt d Eisenhower’s fault.

Before the 1950s if anybody wanted anything they had to work their butts off for it, and jobs were hard to find that paid any more than enough to eat beans and potatoes.

By the mid fifties and early sixties 16 year olds were able to work and buy their own cars, and people started buying their kids things that they could not have when they were kids, and these kids after grown started making it possible for their kids to have every thing their hearts desired with out working.

People will say they vote a certain way for one reason or another but the real reason is socialism, they have gotten used to the free hand outs.

Why should I be responsible for my daughter who is going to be an unwed mother when I can let the other tax payers do it?

Or if my son is involved abortion lets him off the hook.

I do not pay much attention to research statistics because getting the truth out of socialists would be like trying to pull a tooth from a mad dog.

[Albion Wilde]

And how, exactly, was it all DWIGHT D. Eisenhower’s fault?

[Ouchthatonehurt]

Well put.

[married21]

When I was a Democrat, I thought all the Republicans cynically used pro-life votes and then announced that they would not be active on that issue during their term. Also, my Member of Congress was a pro-death Republican, as was my governor, so what difference would changing parties make?

I think the “what difference would it make” question is key. Why would someone who wants to provide for the poor switch to a party that they think doesn’t, in order to get either no promise of a pro-life stance or an empty promise?

Waiting for Republicans to address this....

[Arthur McGowan]

They “think” Democrats are pro-life because they WANT to think that.

They SAY they are pro-life, but they don’t care enough about it to find out which candidates are pro-life.

Why do “pro-life” Catholics vote Democrat? Because they aren’t pro-life.

Why do “pro-life” Catholics vote Democrat? For the same reason ANYBODY votes Democrat. They are evil and stupid.