Sometimes we need to see the other side of a conflict. Whether it be the other side of abortion issues, affirmative action, political parties, or religious doctrine, there are always differing and respectable views that can be held.
As a peer-labeled “liberal,” it is difficult to concede with the far right much of the time. But in light of Ann Coulter’s recent visit to campus, and the equal excitement and disdain of her coming, I think it is an appropriate time to address the stances of the Catholic Church in relation to various political positions of both the Democratic and the Republican Parties.
Though I realize much of her commentary on politics revolve around race and ethnicity, I would like to focus on Catholic Social Teachings.
Considering the hypocrisy of many practitioners of Christian religions, I find it difficult to concede Catholic Social Teachings with the counteractive practices and statements of many campus celebrities and individuals throughout the Catholic Church.
Many people claim to be Catholic, attend mass weekly, give money and donate time to charity, and pray whenever they need help. But, there are also those who do this and forget about the entire living holistically thing on which Catholicism is based. They live preaching the word of God, but never actually living by action in accordance to the church.
Resultantly, I have never been more anti-religious since coming to Notre Dame. Despite my extensive Catholic education throughout my life, being forced to observe the hypocrisy of the Church in practice does not allow for a positive view of religion altogether.
Most times I see more validity in the Islam faith than I do in those who practice Catholicism.
As much as we may love to believe that separation of church and state has been achieved in this country, it is clear the breadth of influence the church holds in the political realm extends beyond the lone representative. To believe otherwise would be ignorant, and thus Catholic Social Teachings play a huge role in both the Republican and Democratic Parties and their platforms and influence.
My greatest concern is the stance many hold on abortion and human rights; every one of the seven themes of CST revolves around respecting the basic human dignity of others, aiding the poor, solidarity, the rights of workers, options for the poor, and so on and so forth.
However, when one says they are pro-life, one is immediately drawn to anti-abortion laws and the moral wrongness of abortion. You imagine bloody fetuses and unborn children, but fail to see images of dead children in the Middle East or homeless children in the United States.
Many fail to realize being pro-life is also about being anti-war and promoting the dignity of every human being. It is about ensuring the well being of every individual, no matter his or her income level or citizen status.
On putting the needs of the poor and vulnerable first: Father Hesburgh has made strides in the realm of increasing the contributions of women in society by beginning gender integration here at Notre Dame. He, in addition to thousands of other Catholics courageously supported the civil rights movement and fought for the dignity of every human being.
He is to thank for the drastic change, and as many may describe it, corruption, of this university as it becomes more and more diverse in ideology, socioeconomic levels, and ethnicity, and strides away from the hypocritical conservative platforms to which many.
Living in solidarity is based on accepting every individual as your family, “whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences” may be. And as so, rejection of social welfare programs that provide youths with better lives results in forcing your brothers in sisters to live in states of utter poverty, which is anything but Catholic.
Many fail to consider the standard of living and life many children face upon their birth into a family unit in which unfair wages and lack of resources do not allow for a fostering community or atmosphere.
It is illogical to be anti-abortion while failing to consider the standard of living a low-income child will face if he or she is brought into this world. One cannot fail to address the fact that current minimum wage is far below living wages throughout the United States.
A standard American family unit—two spouses, two children—can be working three, minimum wage jobs between spouses and still be unable to support their families under current minimum wage levels. And thus, they are forced to welfare programs and food lines: the “handouts” so many openly criticize. This is not hypothetical; it is a fact, not statistical guesses uninformed analysts make.
Further, the stigmatization of abortion does not allow for individuals who may be in serious financial struggles or other difficult situations to even consider the possibility of abortion.
Latino communities, which remain predominantly Catholic in makeup, are guilty of this as well. Heavy church influence tells us sex and abortions are immoral. But we are well aware that individuals will partake despite this. Many young women give birth to a child at a young age, drop out of school as a result, and are forced into the continuing cycle of systematic poverty.
So, what is worse: providing comprehensive pregnancy prevention and sex-education in schools or allowing children to remain uninformed and uneducated on issues that are preventable?
Removing religion from the conversation, I find it impossible to be a pro-life feminist. It is counter-intuitive. While I admit I would not consider abortion personally, I believe that women should at least have the personal choice to decide between abortion and life for her unborn child.
Speaking on moral grounds, it would be innately immoral to force a low-income individual to mother a child who would only continue into the systemic poverty that he or she would be likely to encounter.
One cannot back the supporting of the dignity of unborn children, while not providing women and with the dignity of salvaging their own livelihood and future potential.
The irony is unreal…
Irony is deeply rooted in all of these issues. Many continuously argue the conservative platform of the Catholic Church, while issues of immigration and solidarity rank so high on the pope’s agenda. But with the rise and appropriation of “hipster culture”—and the perpetual irony it so embodies—in mainstream America, maybe irony is just what we’re aiming for.
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