Dear fellow parishioners,
Rather than talk about this subject matter in detail
during the homily, when young ears and minds are present, I thought it was best
to address this concern in a letter to you. I also wish to provide you, as
parents and the “first and best of teachers of the Faith,” with information
which will give you the wherewithal to discuss this issue, within
age-appropriate family circles, as you see fit. This is not to say that the
Church should not address the overall issue of the sacredness of human life
during the Mass, however this subject matter is more delicate than normal and I
believe calls for a different approach—even though much worse things are seen and
openly discussed on television, in the movies, or heard in some popular songs. Be that as it
may…
At issue is an unbroken
Faith. The Catholic Church has never
waivered in its defense of the sanctity of human life. From the moment of
conception to natural death, the Church teaches that life is sacred and that only God has the authority and the right to (sustain
or) take human life. Our Church applies this sanctity equally—to the
innocent unborn child, to the vulnerable elderly and disabled, and even to the
criminal found guilty of a horrific act. Human
life is sacred-period. As Catholics, we are taught that the Truths of our
Faith comes to us from God through Jesus Christ His only Son and with our free will we are called to implement our
faith into our daily activities of life.
Why the confusion? Some Catholics, with all good intentions, believe that
they can simply “pick and choose” which articles of the Faith they will live
out. Some, even proudly, declare themselves “Cafeteria Catholics” to describe
how they selectively choose only parts of the faith to follow. This happens due
to lifestyle choices, deeply held social or political beliefs, and sometimes due to a misunderstanding of
what the Church teaches on a given issue. Often times even well-known
personalities who profess to know the faith actually mislead others with their
ignorance of Sacred Scripture, dogma or doctrine. Worse yet, some priests have
failed to teach the Truths of Christ and have, at times, defined being
“pastoral” with being “popular;” not wanting to “rock the boat” in their parish
community.
Most Catholics know the Church’s social teaching on the
sanctity of human life, from conception until natural death:
“The
Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the
human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is
the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society,
human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of
human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the
use of the death penalty. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid
war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective
ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that
every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that
the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life
and dignity of the human person.” (USCCB on Social Teachings)
FOCA- a radical threat to human life. The
reason why I am writing this letter is because the Church has taken a strong
position in opposition to the so-called Freedom
of Choice Act (FOCA), which is before the United States Congress. Make no
mistake—this piece of proposed legislation has nothing to do with freedom or choice.
In
fact, if enacted, this legislation will “put at risk all the widely-supported
laws that for 35 years have promoted women’s health, ensured informed consent,
protected minors, ensured parental involvement, safe-guarded rights of
conscience, and respected the desire of most citizens not to support abortion
with their tax dollars.” This
legislation would create a right to abortion the government could not limit and
bring about a national abortion policy far worse than the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. For the first
time, abortion would become an
entitlement the government must fund and promote. Citizens, through their
state and local governments, would lose the freedom they now have to enact even
modest regulation on the abortion industry. FOCA would:
- Eliminate regulations that protect women from
unsafe clinics and unscrupulous abortionists;
- Force American taxpayers to fund abortions;
- Force every state to allow partial-birth abortions—its
sponsors have said a primary purpose of the bill is to ensure that killing
partially born children will again be permitted nationwide;
- Run roughshod over the conscience rights of
physicians, nurses and hospitals that oppose abortion on religious, moral
or ethical grounds; and,
- Strip parents of their right and responsibility
to be involved in their minor daughter’s abortion decision.
How serious a threat? Abortion supporters have been trying to pass FOCA
since 1989—and now we have a Congress more disposed than any in recent years to
pass the bill, and a new President who has said he will sign the measure into
law. FOCA would reach beyond federal policy to every state and local law or
regulation having to do with abortion. The passage of this legislation is a
most horrific threat to innocent human life—even nearly up to the time of birth
of the child. This law would also force those who are opposed to abortion—as
well as religious hospitals whose faith opposes abortion—to perform such acts.
What must we do? Sign a postcard, write a thoughtful letter to our
legislator, make a phone call, send an e-mail, send a letter to the editor of
our paper, call a radio talk show, and be public about your support for the
dignity and sacredness of human life.
Where to call? The US Capitol switchboard (202-224-3121), the White
House (202-456-1111).
Where to write? The Honorable (name of legislator) , United States
House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., 20515 or the United States Senate,
Washington, D.C., 20510. Emails help reinforce the message, to send an e-mail
to the Congress or the White House, visit the following e-mail action page at nchla.org
Our US Senators are Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman, our US
House Members are Christopher Murphy for the 5th Congressional
District (Avon, Simsbury, Canton) and John Larson for the 1st
Congressional District (Granby, East Granby).
I
thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration of this letter. This
letter is not intended to point fingers or look to the individuals’ past but
rather it directs our actions to the future and the great God-given potential
of every human creation and the beauty of Hope in God’s plan of Eternal Love.
Our
baptismal call from Christ to follow Him challenges us to make difficult
decisions and to, often times, be counter-cultural. While the secular world and
the “enlightened establishment” have
defined abortion as being pro-choice, the true choice we are called to promote is
that of life, life given as a great and precious gift from God. I hope
you will use the enclosed postcard to make your Faith in God and His wisdom known
to our federal lawmakers and to voice your support for life.
Sincerely
in Christ,
Father Michael Whyte
