11/9/2016
Ashley Santamarina
A common controversial topic of interest during a Presidential election is abortion. Even though the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case closed almost 44 years ago, people are still deeply concerned with the state of abortion laws in the United States. Although the election is over, I still think it is important to evaluate the stance both candidates represented during this election.
Gaudium et spes, a landmark Vatican II document, outlines the Catholic Church's dialogue with modern society. The Council Fathers represent a clear opinion on abortion, stating "whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia or wilful self-destruction...poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are supreme dishonor to the Creator" (GS, 27). This statement comes as no surprise, as it is coming from the Catholic Church which historically opposes abortion and contraception. Gaudium et spes later says that, "from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes," (GS, 51). Based off of this line, the Council Fathers are seeking for laws to prevent abortions from happening, and those that do happen, the people involved would be held responsible.
With this in mind, we can properly evaluate Donald Trump's and Hillary Clinton's views on abortion. Donald Trump's views on abortion are unclear, because he has changed his mind throughout the election. He is definitely advocating as a pro-life President Elect, while is opponent was pro-choice. His most recent statement was that "he will change the law through his judicial appointments and allow the states to protect the unborn" (Bump, "Donald Trump took 5 different positions on abortion in 3 days"). Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, represents the pro-choice agenda. She has remained consistent on this opinion throughout her years in politics, stating "I think abortion should remain legal, but it needs to be safe and rare. And I have spent many years now, as a private citizen, as first lady, and now as senator, trying to make it rare, trying to create the conditions where women had other choices," ("Hillary Clinton on Abortion").
It's evident that Donald Trump is more consistent with the views of the Catholic Church and Gaudium et spes. I doubt this issue will ever be completely resolved, as the Catholic Church will always be in conflict with politics. It is important that the Church comments on these controversial issues, since it is such an influential establishment.
References:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/03/donald-trumps-ever-shifting-positions-on-abortion/
http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Hillary_Clinton_Abortion.htm
Your title "Religion in an election year" grabbed my attention, because sometimes it feels like 'religion' and religion in 'an election year' are two different things. Like you said, the Catholic church will always be in conflict with politics, and I believe this rings true for all religions as a whole. When election year rolls around, its interesting to watch various churches flex their muscles and re-state what they stand for. It's a moment to re-look at what the Church believes in, and hopefully remind everyone to vote in a Catholic-conscious way.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that whenever election season rolls around, people start to get way more heated and argumentative about moral and religious issues than they ever were before. While I think it's great that people are concerned about issues like abortion during election season, I think we would make much more progress if we spread that passion and conviction for life across the whole year. These issues don't just matter when electing the president, but all time time. I think it's important to keep in mind that just because one person is elected (or is not elected) does not mean the issues are resolved or hopeless.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult for me to reconcile with voting for Donald Trump because he's apparently pro-life. This seems to be the determining factor of many in deciding who to vote for. I for one think that he has not been consistent enough on the issue of abortion to demonstrate whether or not he is for or against it. However, Hillary Clinton has also been inconsistent on several important issues as well. It's a sad reality to live in a world where our candidates pander to whatever demographic will give them the most votes.
ReplyDelete