Religion & Law

Here is a passage from Cardinal Bernadin's 1976 testimony before Congress in favor of the Human Life Amendment:

I begin with a fundamental principle. Abortion is not wrong simply because the Catholic Church or any church says it is wrong. Abortion is wrong in and of itself. The obligation to safeguard human life arises not from religious or sectarian doctrine, but from universal moral imperatives concerning human dignity, the right to life, and the responsibility of government to protect basic human rights. Commitment to a constitutional amendment to protect unborn

human life arises from these same basic principles. It is certainly true that the Catholic Church and many other Churches teach that abortion is wrong--just as they teach that racial discrimination is wrong, that exploitation of the poor is wrong, that all injustice and injury to others are wrong. So in my case and that of many other religious persons, religious doctrine powerfully reinforces our commitment to human rights. We are publicly committed on a broad range of domestic and international issues. Within the past week alone, Catholic bishops, continuing a practice of many years' standing, have testified before committees of Congress on full employment and on food stamps. No objections are raised when we give voice to our moral convictions on such matters as these--and that is as it should be. For it is not religious doctrine which we wish to see enacted into law; it is respect for human dignity and human rights--specifically, in this case, the right to life itself. . . .

 

Read the whole thing.  This testimony confirms, I think, that it is misleading to enlist Cardinal Bernadin in support of a "common ground" approach to abortion that rejects, as "all or nothing", calls for just treatment and equal protection for unborn children in law.