UNJUSTIFIABLE HYPOCRISY - 08/24/93 Op/Ed piece for AEN Todd A. Rourke 1:323/110 system@cerbab.east-providence.ri.us lrdetrigan@aol.com Recently, a Catholic Priest advocated the running of an advertisement which depicted the following: A doctor poised ready with a scalpel over a very pregnant woman... and a man holding a gun out... ready to provide greater aeration for the doctor's cranium. The ad was to be called 'Justifiable Homicide'; meaning simply that it was fine to kill a doctor that does abortions. The priest's local diocese came down on him for this idea and informed him that the Catholic Church does not condone murder of any kind. The idea of this one priest, however, demonstrate the rabid fervor that is building over the issue of abortion and the position of the Catholic Church is about as comforting as a sewing needle in the eye. The Catholic Church takes a rigid stand on the abortion issue... it's safe to say that if you have an abortion, you have sinned most grievously. You're hell bound. Condemned to the fires of Hell. Is the fate of the children born under the auspices of the 'pro-life' movement much better? A life with a parent or parents that really would have preferred not being such? Condemned to a life of poverty and second-class status. Many might well prefer to be dead. All life is sacred to the church, however! To what level seems to be the question. I do not begrudge the Catholic Church the right of trying to outlaw abortion within its faithful followers. I do, however, expect the Church to be 'pro-life' in all cases. Does the church willfully take in ALL of these unwanted children? Does it give in depth counsel to these new and unwilling parents? No, I'm sorry... a pat on the shoulder and a 'God works in mysterious ways' does not count. Neither does a run down orphanage. Unfortunately there seems to be a trend to get the baby born, get it baptized into the church, and then forget about it until such time it's old enough to send money. If the Catholic Church is going to be the 'bedroom police', I expect at least a better job than this. Catholic in name only isn't much to hang your yarmulke on, John Paul. Pro-life to me is endorsing contraception... not trying to label it as taboo. You inhibit the conception, then there is no abortion, no murder, or no unwanted child making another hungry mouth to feed at the world's ever-shrinking dinner table. I'll buy the case that conception is the start of a HUMAN life... and that abortion should probably be avoided... but to slap the hand for the act and then to slap the other hand for trying to responsibly prevent the same? Pick one or the other... not both. If pro-life is simply making sure someone is born into no matter how horrible the situation, it's not for me. And so we have this gun-toting priest ready to shoot a doctor. Funny that as this story has been building, we've seen an abortion doctor gunned down in Wichita KS by a 'pro-life' advocate. It's always convenient to redefine the sacrament of life on the fly. I suppose the priest in question here is pleased... too bad it seems he's in direct violation of the edicts of his faith. Then again, it seems most of the Catholics in America are also in such direct violation. Yet, the Pope is infallible... this is what is taught. Does infallibility still count when you're a great minority even within the people who are supposed to be riveted to your every word? The church wants to be apolitical. I can understand that. I'd like to see the Catholic Church be apolitical as well. Too bad it just can't seem to keep itself out of the arena and out of the news. Priests condoning murder... Priests raping children... Priests getting married or having kids... and a hierarchy that tries very hard to scuttle these events under the rug and away from prying eyes. Looks to me like the Church is engaged in a not-so-veiled systematic war against children. I'm sure this is not the case at all... but when the roots of a tree grow rotten, the tree dies. Especially when the roots are so deep and protected, they cannot be reached for proper treatment. Amen. -TR