I have been surprised by the pro-life people I encounter who feel they cannot vote for McCain because he supports embryonic stem cell research, which is intrinsically evil. A human embryo cannot develop into anything else, but a human. It has a soul and it's life was initiated by God who is the author of life. This makes it as intrinsically evil as abortion itself.
It's understandable how some might think that it is morally wrong to vote for McCain because of this and it is not a light matter. However, what does the Catholic Church teach? Hold that thought for a moment.
THE PRESIDENT, THE FEDERAL COURTS, AND ABORTION
One thing I want to point out is that I have my sights on the US Supreme Courts with my choice of president, whicih is McCain. Many do not realize that when we elect presidents, we are impacting the Supreme Court AND all lower federal court appointments. The US Supreme Court justices get their life-long appointments to the bench through the President after being confirmed by the Senate. You may recall what Judge Robert Bork had to go through as Democrats applied their litmus test on abortion. Clarence Thomas survived being " borked" when he went through the process, as did Roberts.
From a constitutional standpoing, Roe v Wade never should have received a favorable ruling. It was activist judges legislating from the bench - something that is increasingly threatening the very fundamentals upon which our country was founded.
Only two men have the possibility of making it into the White House: McCain or Obama. McCain does not believe judges should be legislating from the bench and would look at judges voting records - not necessarily on how they feel about abortion, but on how courts should be deciding issues based on the Constitution. Abortion rights cloaked by "privacy rights" is cooked-up and many believe will fall with time. However, it all depends on who makes it into the White House as to how long it will take - 5 years, 10 years, or 40-50.
If Obama makes it into the White House, he will undoubtedly stack the bench with judges who support Roe v Wade. He has said as much. Justice Stevens is 92, Ginsburg is 75 and experiencing health problems, Scalia and Kennedy are both 72. You see where this is headed. We have at least 2-4 judges who may head off into retirement within the next 4-8 years. Once the court is replaced with liberal judges, they will be there for decades. (Biographies on each judge)
This says nothing of the multitude of federal judges also appointed by the US President. If you thought the Florida Supremes caused a debacle in 2000, just wait.
Furthermore, Obama has vowed to make the notorious Freedom Of Choice Act the first thing he would sign into law. Those pro-lifers who sit on the sidelines this election or vote for a third party will reel the most when this happens.
It's true that we don't know with 100% certainty whether McCain would get it right with his Federal judge picks. It's a tricky process. President Reagan got it wrong with Kennedy in 1988 and is undoubtedly rolling in his grave. George H.W. Bush got it wrong with Souter. What makes me confident about McCain is not whether he is pro-life enough. I don't fear his picks because of his desire to "reach across the aisle". My confidence comes from his understanding that judges should not legislate from the bench and a judge cut from this cloth would not uphold Roe v. Wade. At the debate, he spoke of not using a litmus test, but of looking at judges records. What records? Whether they have a propensity to bend the US Constitution like some bend Catholic teaching or uphold it.
The stakes are very high here people. Think hard before you rule out voting for McCain if you are pro-life.
On the blog of Jimmy Akin, blogwriter "SDG" (not Jimmy), has a very good series up on this very topic of whether it is morally wrong or acceptable to vote for the candidate that will do the least amount of damage. Do read it, especially if you are thinking of voting for a third party candidate or sitting out the election.
Go read SDG's post series at Jimmy Akin's blog: Elections, Voting and Morality
EDIT: For a limited time, you can also listen to the great show Raymond Arroyo had on EWTN's World Over Live last night. He interviewed Wendy Long at the Judicial Confirmation Network who talked indepth about Supreme Court Justices. She is seen here in this video:
EDIT 2: The embed was removed because it was on autoplay. This can be a problem for people perusing blogs at work during breaks and lunch. Visit the Judicial Network above for the important message about the Supreme Court with this election.
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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!