To the Sentinel:
In recent weeks, I have read the sometimes dogmatic-sounding letters concerning the upcoming election. The writers would have us believe that a good Catholic can never vote Democratic. The American bishops’ pamphlet: “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” states clearly on p.13, “As Catholics we are not single issue voters.” All too often abortion blinds Catholic voters to the many other issues that a follower of Christ should be concerned about. The bishops go on to state in their publication that (besides abortion) other direct threats to human life include: euthanasia, human cloning, torture, unjust war, genocide, poverty, starvation, death penalty, and racism. Pope John Paul said in 2002 that poverty is, “the one issue that most challenges our human and Christian consciences.”
The Republicans have been in the White House for almost eight years and Roe v Wade is still the law. Rather than sitting around waiting for Supreme Court Justices to die, perhaps we should join Sens. Obama and Biden in their primary strategy of radically reducing the number of abortions. This is really what we all want, isn’t it? Do any of us really think that if we made abortion illegal today all abortions would immediately stop? The abortion rate is four times higher among poor women than among affluent women. What does this tell us about the need for social programs and health care, ideas that the Republican Party opposes? Some Catholics who deeply care about fetal life are more interested in reducing abortions now than by waiting around for abortions to become illegal.
Maybe those of us who abhor abortions should work together and start thinking in a different way?

Sr. Patricia Nizic
Portland