The popular notion is jejune, holding that opposition to abortion is the position -- the sectarian position, it's widely thought -- of the Catholic Church. Catholics oppose abortion, therefore anti-abortion is a Catholic position. Or, Jews oppose genocide, therefore opposition to genocide is a Jewish position.
It is true that the Catholic Church as an institution is the most visible opponent of routinized abortion. But its opposition to the practice is not based on Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It is based on the proposition that human beings are human beings even if they have not yet been born. Those who are helpless are, it is all but universally held in America, to be protected. The 1-day-old child is protected with the full force of the law. The proposition that he is without rights when he is minus 1 day old is nothing more than a social convention conflating various concerns. One is for the mental health of the mother, one for the perceived satisfaction of the mother, another for the national birthrate, and still another for the unspoken hope that we'll have fewer black and Hispanic births.
Apologists for Senator Kerry's inanimate disapproval of abortion contend with the problem, for instance Mr. Ono Ekeh. He has the unenviable role of administrator of "Catholics for Kerry." Its pitch on this issue is that Senator Kerry's war on abortion is most subtly conceived. You see, most abortions are had by the very poor. "John Kerry's vision for America is a pro-life vision that will ultimately reduce the frequency of and need for abortions" -- after Mr. Kerry has eliminated poverty. Perhaps the candidate should be asked: Would it be reasonable to prohibit abortion for women who are millionaires?
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has said that "the well-informed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political policy or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals." We need to know from John Kerry: Why do you personally oppose abortion? Not because it is a Catholic position and you are bound to it as a Catholic, because, manifestly, you don't feel bound by Catholic teaching. Tell us, then, what are your reasons for opposing abortion? Would you tell us if we promise not to pass the word on before election day?