President Obama’s mandate compelling Catholic institutions to provide contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing pharmaceuticals has drawn far greater support from the Democratic Party leadership (and those who agree with its party platform) than I would have expected, given the obvious challenge it poses to First Amendment rights.
It is truly shocking to watch elected officials like the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi (a self-identified Catholic), Sen. Barbara Boxer, Rep. Maxine Waters and Sen. Frank Lautenberg back this policy.
It is alarming to watch them aggressively disregard or deny millions of religious believers a broad religious exemption that will shield them from a law that forces them to violate their consciences. Waters actually characterized opponents of the mandate as “demons.”
Well, I warn them and their constituents: Do they really want to go down this road of banning conscience exemptions?
Think about it. How many of them embrace the right of conscientious objection when it comes to war?
During times of mandatory military service, conscientious objection is a true saving grace. If one is convinced, based on one’s faith in particular, that a war is wrong, he or she has the option to not participate.
I could fill this page with the words of Catholic monks and priests who publicly defended that right during the Vietnam War, from Thomas Merton to the Berrigan brothers. They were heroes for taking their courageous and correct stand.
Those who self-identify as liberals need to pause to realize that the Catholic Church, as an institution, has consistently advocated this right:
The Second Vatican Council issued a Declaration on Religious Freedom, affirming that Catholics are first duty-bound to faithfully follow their consciences, not the dictates of a government, and that no person should be “forced to act in a manner contrary to his conscience.”
The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World states that governments cannot compel a citizen to engage in military service if that person is convinced that physical combat is sinful. The Church condemns “blind obedience” to unjust regimes that commit unjust actions.
Since the Second Vatican Council, popes, bishops and Catholic theologians have repeatedly reaffirmed these positions. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. bishops issued major documents supporting both universal and selective conscientious objection.
On a related point — which, again, so-called liberals will applaud — the Church has demanded humane treatment for wartime noncombatants, the wounded and POWs. The Catechism states this explicitly.
Generally speaking, the Catechism proclaims, “Citizens are obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order.” Quoting the New Testament (Acts 5:29), the Catechism states: “We must obey God rather than men.”
Indeed, though I’ve cited Catholic teaching, millions of non-Catholic Christians follow these principles when it comes to war, from Quakers to the Amish to Mennonites. And huge numbers of secular nonbelievers adamantly endorse these teachings on conscience and war.
Conscientious objection is a precious right in this nation. It must remain so.
Have “abortion rights” become so sacred to millions of people that they are willing to sacrifice conscience exemptions at the altar of Roe v. Wade? Do they really want to head down this road?
I suggest they stop and think hard about what they’re advocating.
Unfortunately, modern, secular “progressives” are so dedicated to “women’s reproductive rights” that they will happily ignore the inconsistencies in their position, accepting, or at least tolerating, a double standard.
They’ll smile and take their wartime conscientious objection — trumpeting the First Amendment’s freedom of religion — and then on a dime deny conscience exemptions for people of faith on abortion policy.
Nat Hentoff, the well-known “pro-life liberal,” had a saying about liberals and their inconsistency on free speech: “Free speech for me but not for thee.” It looks like they’re demanding the same double standard for conscience protection: “Conscience exemption for me but not for thee.”
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College.
His books include The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan’s Top Hand (Ignatius Press) and Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century.
Comments
Post a Comment
The governed and the government have a vested interest in allowing persons to act according to their conscience. Has the end result of “conscience does not matter” been given serious thought among “Democrat” politicians? Do they really want to oppose any conscience objection? Does this country really want to embrace the idea of conscience-less populace?
I left the Democrat Party many decades ago when they went down the wrong path by promoting the “right to abortion.” Their twisted thinking has continued and brought us to a perilous place. The persecutions have begun. Our conscience is not respected but their way is sacred and must be honored. (Abortion is their sacrament.) Nat Hentoff hit the nail on the head. However, it is not just free speech that is hindered but our entire way of life as well. Let us pray for one another that we and our bishops are up to the battle at hand and that America may be healed and restored to authentic Constituional rights which respect religious freedom. Without it there is no life, liberty or pursuit of happiness for all.
The Democrats are increasingly becoming the Party of what used to be the counterculture. Those in the counterculture generally refused to fit in. Left to themselves, they would have been on a path of destruction with drugs, crime or dissolute living. Now that the media and pop culture has given them celebrity status, they’ll take us into destruction as well. America needs an “a-ha” moment when the light bulb finally comes on. For the Germans under Hitler it came way too late.
Sen. Lautenberg hasn’t had a clear thought since 1954.
Will the six Catholics on the SCOTUS “faithfully follow their conscious” ? The CINO politicians are only loyal to the dictator in the oval office, the party of death dictates their ever move. We need Bishops & Cardinals that will purge these CINO’s & all heretics from our ranks. If you do not believe then your condemning yourself. If you voice your heresy publicly then you should be publicly denounced. When will our shepherds step up to do the job they were positioned to do ?
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give The National Catholic Register permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.