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Ballot Question Mobilize the
Pro-Life Vote in Three States
By Joseph A. Exposito
(Special to the Herald)
With the Nov. 3 elections imminent, many Catholics
are hoping to add congressional seats which are more sympathetic to the
pro-life cause. A gain of three Senate seats, for example, should be
enough to override President Clinton's veto
and abolish partial-birth abortions during the 106th Congress.
Also important are referenda questions in three
states which directly involve Catholic teaching. The most widely
publicized has been a proposal to allow physician-assisted suicide in Michigan.
In addition, Hawaii and Alaska will consider
the issue of homosexual marriages.
Many critics of euthanasia have raised the specter of the "slippery slope" regarding physician-assisted suicide. Last November, Oregon voters approved a ballot measure which allowed this type of death. The state became the first political jurisdiction in the world to explicitly sanction such killing.
Now, eight years after Dr. Jack Kevorkian unleashed his program of assisted suicides in Michigan, voters there will determine whether they want to follow Oregon. Proposal B allows physicians to administer drugs to hasten the death of terminally ill patients. If approved, it would overturn a 1998 state law which prohibits such actions.
A coalition of 32 groups, known as Citizens for Compassionate Care, has been campaigning against the ballot question. Among members of the coalition are the Michigan Catholic Conference, other religious groups, Right to Life of Michigan, and the Michigan State Medical Society.
Paul A. Long, vice president for public policy
at the Catholic Conference, said, "The Church is spending a significant
amount of time, effort, and resources to educate the Catholic community
about Proposal B and to energize them to defeat
it."
Indeed, the state's bishops are aggressively
seeking to mobilize Catholic voters. Detroit Cardinal Adam Maida has taped
a media message which says "this proposal is not about a right to die,
it's
about a right to kill."
Gaylord Bishop Patrick R. Cooney has sent out
three mailings in his diocese. The ordinary of Lansing, Bishop Carl F.
Mengeling, has had a letter read in all parishes and sent a letter to every
Catholic household in his diocese. Other bishops
have also been engaged.
Another member of the coalition, the Michigan Family Institute, has run radio spots and participated with its affiliate, Focus on the Family, in sending out a mailing to 120,000 homes. But Michael Harris, its executive director, does not expect to change many minds.
"Almost no one is undecided on this issue,"
he said. Polling data indicate that the electorate is evenly divided, with
very few undecided. The reason: the debate on Kevorkian and his methods
have been debated in the state since 1990.
The key to success for the pro-life forces,
Harris says, is getting out the vote on election day. But that might be
a challenge because incumbent Gov. John Engler is an overwhelming favorite
over
his challenger, Geoffrey Fieger, a Democrat
and Kevorkian's attorney. Apathy is a concern for the coalition.
Harris is also worried about the resiliency of the euthanasia forces should the proposal be defeated. "If the vote is close, I look for them to come back in two years and try to catch the pro-lifers sleeping." That's the strategy that was used to legalize casino gambling in Detroit, he said.
While the attention of pro-lifers has been focused on Michigan, many pro-family advocates have been following ballot questions in Hawaii and Alaska.
Voters in Hawaii will determine whether the state constitution should be amended to permit the legislature to restrict marriage to one male and one female.
The initiative responds to a 1993 Hawaii Supreme
Court ruling which supported the prospect of same-sex marriages. Should
such "marriages" be allowed in Hawaii, other states might recognize
that civil action and accord the state-sanctioned
benefits of marriage to ceremonies performed in Hawaii.
The state's sole bishop, Francis X. DiLorenzo
of Honolulu, issued a letter on Sept. 25 exhorting Catholics to vote for
the proposal to allow the legislature to supersede the efforts of the court.
He
said that "without the passage of this amendment,
the Hawaii court will almost surely redefine marriage. The effects of such
a decision will reverberate across the country."
As in Michigan, several organizations have
come together to advance a Christian-values position. Among the members
of Save Traditional Marriage '98 are the Hawaii Catholic Conference and
the Hawaii Family Forum, another one
of the state affiliates of Dr. James C. Dobson's Focus on the Family.
"With the efforts of a broad coalition of individual
citizens and community organizations — working in the courts, the legislature,
and, more importantly, in our community — we are now
poised to stop this travesty," the bishop
said.
A similar situation exists in Alaska. In response to a ruling of the state Superior Court, a ballot question seeks to amend the constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Alaska's three Catholic bishops have issued a pastoral letter endorsing the measure known as Proposition 2.
The letter says, "For Catholics, the consummation
of marriage is more than a biological act. It is an act that involves the
whole person, enriches the body and mind, gives them a special dignity
and sees them in a unique relationship that
reflects the presence of God and God's creation. Therein lies the
distinctive quality of the relationship that is called for by marriage."
Here, too, pro-family advocates have been galvanized. In addition to the efforts by the Alaska Family Coalition, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City has contributed $500,000 for the campaign to educate and mobilize voters.
The same-sex marriage concept is a growing
national issue. In response to efforts by homosexual groups, pro-family
forces have been fighting back. Twenty-nine states now have enacted
defense-of-marriage acts, which define marriage
in a traditional manner. An effort to do so in California, expected in
November 1999, is likely to be highly contentious.
While these proposals in Michigan, Hawaii, and Alaska have aroused considerable interest, Virginia voters are faced with five important, but less controversial, ballot questions on Nov. 3. All would amend the state constitution, and they deal with debt, local taxes, judicial proceedings, and elections.
Joseph A. Esposito is the Washington Bureau
Chief of the National Catholic Register.
Copyright ©1998 Arlington Catholic Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
This article was published in the Arlington
Catholic Herald,
200 N. Glebe Rd., Suite 607, Arlington, VA 22203; Vol 23, No 43;
dated Oct 29, 1998, on page 10.
E-mail:
letters@catholicherald.com
Fax: 703/524-2782;
Editorial: 703/841-2590;
Advertising: 703/841-2594;
Circulation: 703/841-2565
A note from the Web Master:
It is noteworthy and honorable that some folks are willing to stand up for a ban on Partial-Birth Abortion. Let us not forget that Abortion is also murder. We must understand that murder is murder no matter the method. Because one method of abortion seems to be horrible does not justify the other methods. We should be horrified and sickened by any Abortion regardless of the method. The Fifth Commandment spells it out clearly: "Thou shalt not kill." A fetus is a person, a human being with a God given soul. Imagine the pain the Lord must feel when any Abortion occurs. Please contact both of your Senators and Representative, via letter or phone, to let them know how horrified you are that Abortions are legal and to stop Partial-Birth Abortions and all other Abortions as soon as possible.
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