Abortion & Catholic Politicians

It's been quite a few years now that some Catholic groups have shined a light on how some Catholic politicians are personally opposed to abortion but tacitly support it in their policies and decisions. I find it hard to see how a person can personally oppose abortion but then support it in public policy - but that's been discussed before here and in a lot of other places and that's not what is on my mind this morning anyway.

So President Obama is going to nominate the governor of Kansas (the state I was born & raised in) - Kathleen Sebelius - to be Secretary for Health & Human Services. She's Catholic and supports abortion rights - and so she's controversial and shouldn't be nominated; or so that's how some anti-abortion Catholics see it.

I used to care about pro-choice Catholic politicians, but not really any more. I don't like abortion; I think it's terrible. I volunteer at a crisis pregnancy counseling center, and I support its work. And I think it's that experience that has led me to care less about the protests some Catholic groups put up when such politicians are in the news.        

If we care about reducing or eliminating abortion, we have to care about the women who choose to get those abortions. What led them to the point in their lives where they have to make that decision? I can say from my experience, those events include childhood sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addicitions that lead to sexual promiscuity, fearing the family & social repercussions of being pregnant, poor parenting, economic stress, and direct pressure from boyfriends, spouses and parents.

I truly believe that we will be more effective at reducing the number of abortions if we start caring more about women and the circumstances that lead them to make the decision that abortion is the best choice for them. That means more resources put towards education, counseling, prevention (abstinence or contraception based on your moral compass), health care, jobs, and programs that build the strength of families. For me, being against abortion is all about being for women and their families.