What I Love About Catholicism: The Sanctity of Life

I have always believed abortion is wrong. Ending the life of a child while it is still in the womb is murder. To me, it is that clear. It is amazing the mental gymnastics some advocates for "pro-choice" will do in order to justify murder. In fact, I've often said that the consequences between killing a child within the womb and killing one outside the womb is simply a matter of timing. For the former, it's a "protected right." For the latter, it is a prosecutable crime.

I have always been proud of the Roman Catholic Church for her stance on the sanctity of life. It's not just about abortion but by honoring and respecting all life, from a newly-formed life in the womb to the elderly person whose life is still precious, even as they are nearer to eternity.

And now we come to economics.

The current health care bill has included a disturbing element in the proposed legislation. Euthanasia. Evidently, they want to be able to talk to elderly citizens on Medicare about how to end their lives sooner. You read that right. If this health care bill is passed, your grandparents (and eventually you) will be "counseled" on how to end their life earlier since elderly people will be viewed as a drain on the system.

One of the arguments of those who are pro-choice is this: either abort an unwanted child (especially if it's from a poor woman) or society will be forced to financially support the child for eighteen years through government subsidy programs.

This argument, according the Catholicism, is flawed from the very beginning because it assumes that a human life only has value if it is able to produce something for society. To relegate some one's worth to what they can contribute to society - is inhumane. Such arguments have led the world down the dark path of ethnic cleansing. Germany justified killing thousands of Jews, and also the elderly and infirm because supposedly they were a drain on the economy. We are witnessing this in greater measure today with other countries taking similar steps.

The Catholic Church has stood firm against such insanity. There is an integrity within Catholicism as the sanctity of life is promoted, supported, and preserved with the Right-to-Life movement, as well as the many Catholic institutions that take care of the elderly.

Life is a gift from God. It is a gift that cannot and should not be politicized, but tragically, it has. We're in for a fierce battle regarding the proposed health care bill. I am very happy to once again be with the Catholic Church and pray she will be a light during this very dark time.