In response to the news article in the April 28 edition of the Catholic News Herald, “Trump signs bill to let states redirect funds from abortion clinics,” I would like to provide more detail. Thanks to this new bill being signed, Catholics and other American citizens are free from the abomination of tax dollars going toward abortion, and specifically Planned Parenthood.
The president did well in purposely having the tax dollars given to former Sen. Tom Price, the pro-life Secretary of Health and Human Services. At the time when the bill was signed, Democrats and Planned Parenthood confidently thought that the organization would still be funded because of what was written in the bill. However, because Price is pro-life, Planned Parenthood will not be receiving any funding as long as Price keeps his faith and is the HHS secretary.
“Taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortion, plain and simple,” expressed Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan in a statement. “We remain united and steadfast in our commitment to life and religious liberty.” He referred to this reversing of the rule the Obama administration issued as “a major pro-life victory,” precisely what it is.
Daniel Carter lives in Davidson.
In the Feb. 17 edition of the Catholic News Herald, a letter to the editor decried President Donald Trump’s “anti-people actions” concerning immigration and criticized other Catholics thusly: “Catholics strongly supported President Donald Trump on the single issue of abortion, but apparently didn’t listen to the other threats being made over a lengthy presidential campaign.”
We voters almost always have to consider a slate of candidates who do not all consistently adhere to the principles of our Catholic faith. So we must either abstain from the political process or make imperfect choices in voting. Choosing a candidate requires us to establish priorities among the issues. This is difficult, but the Church gives us help: “There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society... These are called ‘intrinsically evil’ actions. They must always be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned. A prime example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion and euthanasia” (“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops).
Therefore, I considered the American slaughter of approximately one million unborn children to be the preeminent issue in my decision to vote against Secretary Hilary Clinton, an avid supporter of abortion. In my opinion, every disagreeable action Mr. Trump has taken pales in comparison to the fundamentally “anti-people” act of abortion which his opponent absolutely would have championed.
Charles R. Splawn is a member of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.