Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty -- to Vote Pro-Life

The NY Catholic Bishops produced this document setting forth our responsibilities as citizens in a representative democracy and urging us to vote in accordance with a properly formed conscience.  It is, indeed, our duty to vote and to vote with our consciences.  Many people take that to mean that they need not follow all Catholic teaching when pulling exercising our right to vote.  On the contrary, we are called to fully inform our consciences. 

Where we think we disagree with Church teaching we need listen and think again.  Further, many people claim that since neither party supports all Catholic positions we can vote for anyone with whom we generally agree or for the party that our families have supported for generations.  This ignores the fact that some rights are different from others and are distinguished by the principle of subsidiarity.  For example, some might argue that they can vote for a pro-abortion politician because the politician supports other Catholic principles such as helping the poor or opposition to the death penalty.  The principle of subsidiary argues that support for abortion outweighs any other issue because without life all other rights are moot. 

It is not proper for a Catholic to support a pro-abortion politician.  Vote tomorrow but vote as if your soul depended upon it.