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and walls of that house.
All direct attacks on innocent human
life, such as abortion and euthanasia, strike at the house’s founda-
tion
. (
Living the Gospel of Life
, no. 22)
41. Catholic voters should use the framework of Catholic social teaching
to examine candidates’ positions on issues affecting human life and dignity
as well as issues of justice and peace, and they should consider candidates’
integrity, philosophy, and performance. It is important for all citizens “to see
beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose
their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or mere self-
interest” (
Living the Gospel of Life,
no. 33).
42. As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate’s position on a
single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support. Yet if a candidate’s
position on a single issue promotes an intrinsically evil act, such as legal
abortion, redefining marriage in a way that denies its essential meaning,
or racist behavior, a voter may legitimately disqualify a candidate from receiv-
ing support.
43. As noted previously, the Catholic approach to faithful citizenship rests
on moral principles found in Sacred Scripture and Catholic moral and social
teaching as well as in the hearts of all people of good will. Recent papal
teaching has identified four major principles of Catholic social teaching. We
now present the central and enduring themes of the Catholic social tradition
organized under these four principles that can provide a moral framework for
decisions in public life.
5
The Dignity of the Human Person
44. Human life is sacred. The
dignity of the human person
is the foundation
of a moral vision for society. Direct attacks on innocent persons are never
morally acceptable, at any stage or in any condition. In our society, human
life is especially under direct attack from abortion, which some political actors
mischaracterize as an issue of “women’s health.” Other direct threats to the
sanctity of human life include euthanasia and assisted suicide (sometimes
falsely labelled as “death with dignity”), human cloning, in vitro fertilization,
and the destruction of human embryos for research.
H H H